Americans who feel little for either party differ in how they engage with democracy

People who are equally lukewarm or cold toward both major parties report different democratic views and participation patterns.

Abstract editorial illustration accompanying the article: Americans who feel little for either party differ in how they engage with democracy

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

Researchers examined whether people who are not emotionally drawn toward one party over the other are all alike. They argue that comparing feelings toward the two parties alone can miss important differences in how warmly or coldly people regard both parties.

Across three nationally representative US surveys, the researchers identified two groups among people with similar feelings toward both parties. The groups reported different views of democracy and different patterns of democratic participation, suggesting that people who appear similarly unpolarized may not relate to democracy in the same way.

Two kinds of unpolarized citizens

The surveys found that substantial shares of the US population were similarly positive or negative toward both major parties. Within this broad group, cluster analyses identified two groups: people who felt lukewarm toward both parties and people who felt cold toward both. Regression analyses showed that these groups reported differing attitudes toward democracy and differing patterns of participation. The abstract does not specify the direction or size of those differences.

Why the distinction matters

Studies of political division often compare how warmly people feel toward one party relative to the other. That measure can treat people who are mildly positive toward both parties and people who are strongly negative toward both parties as similarly unpolarized, even though they may view and take part in democracy differently. Distinguishing these groups could affect how researchers interpret the relationship between political feelings, democratic attitudes and participation.

Evidence and open questions

The findings come from cluster analyses and regressions using three nationally representative US surveys. This provides evidence of distinct groups and associations in survey reports, but the abstract does not establish that feelings toward the parties cause differences in democratic attitudes or participation. It also does not give the groups' sizes, the specific attitudes or activities measured, or how the groups differed. The authors call for further research on people who are unpolarized toward both parties.

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