“Elections, Authoritarianism, Partisan Polarization in the US”

The increasing polarization of the Democratic and Republican parties in the US has been well documented but a number of different explanations for it have been advanced. Based on analyses of almost 30 years of election survey data, I show how the two parties have sharply diverged on the core trait of authoritarianism. The relationship between authoritarianism and vote choice has increased substantially over time. Perhaps more importantly, authoritarianism has become more strongly related to partisan identification which has long-term implications for political conflict. I also show that this increased influence of authoritarianism in American politics is largely a result of a few key presidential elections that accelerated the sorting of partisans by levels of authoritarianism.

The lecture will be followed by a reception in the ISR Atrium.

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