American Politics in Two Dimensions: Partisan and Ideological Identity versus Anti-Establishment Orientation

First published: July 15, 2021 https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12616

Commentary

Political illness at the level of mass behavior (e.g., out-group aggression, conspiracy theories) can be attributed to increasing polarization and partisan tribalism.

The researchers theorize that many such problems are less a product of left-right orientations than an orthogonal "anti-establishment" dimension of opinion dominated by conspiracy, populist, and Manichaean orientations.

Using two national surveys from 2019 and 2020, we find that this opinion dimension correlates with antisocial psychological traits, acceptance of political violence, and time spent on extremist social media platforms.

It also correlates with support for populist candidates such as Trump and Sanders, and belief in misinformation and conspiracy theories.

Many people see politics as essentially a conflict between left and right, while others see it as a battle between "the people" and a corrupt establishment.

The findings indicate an urgent need to move beyond left-right identities and emotional orientations and expand the traditional conceptualization of popular opinion.