Political Behavior

Do Fans Make Poor Referees? Exploring Citizens’ Reactions to Partisan Gamesmanship - Political Behavior Political (as opposed to professional) election oversight is one area in which the U.S. scores extremely low in measures of election integrity. Meanwhile, rancorous political battles to determine acceptable election procedures and judge when tactics cross the line have become common events. Our work contributes to recent scholarship investigating whether voters prioritize democratic principles or strategically favor electoral procedures that provide partisan advantage. In two survey experiments, we confirm that Americans’ attitudes about antidemocratic election tactics reveal more about which team they are cheering for than they do about whether the tactics are fraudulent. The tendency to engage in partisan motivated reasoning occurs among all partisans, but there are subtle differences as to when citizens will engage in it. Partisan motivated reasoning is more common when actions cause harm and by the partisans that are harmed. Finally, Independents are more impartial, but less likely to call out improper tactics in the aggregate because they often fail to condemn actions by either party.

Can seeing the “other side” differently heal division?
Myers & Hvidsten find that meeting counter-stereotypical partisans reduces bias and improves feelings toward the out-party.
#PoliticalBehavior #AffectivePolarization
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Do Fans Make Poor Referees? Exploring Citizens’ Reactions to Partisan Gamesmanship - Political Behavior Political (as opposed to professional) election oversight is one area in which the U.S. scores extremely low in measures of election integrity. Meanwhile, rancorous political battles to determine acceptable election procedures and judge when tactics cross the line have become common events. Our work contributes to recent scholarship investigating whether voters prioritize democratic principles or strategically favor electoral procedures that provide partisan advantage. In two survey experiments, we confirm that Americans’ attitudes about antidemocratic election tactics reveal more about which team they are cheering for than they do about whether the tactics are fraudulent. The tendency to engage in partisan motivated reasoning occurs among all partisans, but there are subtle differences as to when citizens will engage in it. Partisan motivated reasoning is more common when actions cause harm and by the partisans that are harmed. Finally, Independents are more impartial, but less likely to call out improper tactics in the aggregate because they often fail to condemn actions by either party.

Do fans make poor referees? ⚖️
Claassen, Ensley & Ryan find that when judging election tactics, partisans care more about who benefits than what’s fair. Independents? More neutral—but quieter critics.
#PoliticalBehavior #ElectionIntegrity
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How Strong Policy Attitudes Activate Support for Aggressive Political Action - Political Behavior There is a long history of political violence in the United States. Scholars have documented numerous dispositions that predict support for violence as a political tactic, finding that a general tendency toward aggression is consistently among the strongest predictors. Yet, we know much less about how political attitudes might activate aggressive personalities and direct them toward specific targets. In this paper, we examine how policy attitudes interact with dispositional aggression to motivate support for political violence. Across two studies, using novel measures and within-subjects designs, we show that intense policy opposition strongly predicts support for aggressive political tactics against politicians responsible for the legislation – primarily among those who are dispositionally prone to aggression. Surprisingly, the strength of partisan identity plays little role in explaining support for political aggression. Our findings suggest that policy attitudes are a crucial factor for understanding when aggressive individuals might turn to political violence.

When do strong attitudes turn dangerous?
Clifford & Lothamer show that intense policy opposition, not partisanship, channels aggressive personalities toward supporting political violence. #AmericanPolitics
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The Role of Networks in Mobilization for Ethnic Minority Interest Parties - Political Behavior Recently, parties that are run by and for ethnic minority citizens with a migration background have become more prominent. They can be considered a manifestation of ethnic political segregation. A key example of such a party is DENK in the Netherlands. So far, the explanatory literature has focused on how programmatic considerations drives voting for these parties. Other factors, such as the role of social networks in mobilization, have received limited testing and limited exploration in more detail. Furthermore, the literature on social networks is mainly based on majority populations. To inform our understanding of the role of social networks in voting (in general but also particularly among ethnic minority communities and for ethnic minority interest parties) this paper analyzes the voting behavior for DENK focusing on the role of personal, online and religious networks. The paper uses both qualitative interviews (with bicultural youth in the third largest city of the Netherlands in 2022) and quantitative surveys (the 2021 Dutch Ethnic Minority Electoral Study). Our analysis points to the importance of religious and personal networks for voting for DENK, whereas online networks appear to be less relevant.

Do ethnic minority interest parties grow through programs, or people? Schaaf, Otjes & Spierings show that DENK’s support in the Netherlands stems mainly from personal & religious networks, while online ties matter less. #ComparativePolitics
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Authoritarian Nostalgia, Group Sentiment, and Voter Behavior: Evidence from East Asia - Political Behavior Legacies of an authoritarian past have enduring effects on voters’ attitudes and behaviors. I argue that authoritarian nostalgia is an important source of group sentiment and voter behavior in post-authoritarian democracies. Voters with nostalgic sentiment construct strong group sentiment based on historical perception and express attachment towards authoritarian successors. I test this argument with a new measure of authoritarian nostalgia. With original data collected from South Korea and Taiwan, I provide evidence that nostalgic voters are likely to exhibit strong group sentiment observable through partisan attachment. Abstracting from the specific cases, I use a randomly assigned candidate comparison analysis to demonstrate that voters high in authoritarian nostalgia are more attracted to hypothetical candidates invoking nostalgia than those with high programmatic or ideological proximity. Overall, the results show how authoritarian nostalgia remains important as a source of group sentiment in maturing democracies.

Is nostalgia for authoritarian rule just history, or political behavior? Kim-Leffingwell shows that in South Korea & Taiwan, authoritarian nostalgia fosters group sentiment & attachment to successors, shaping voter behavior. #ComparativePolitics
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Partisanship and Support for Devolving Concrete Policy Decisions to the States - Political Behavior Do people think that some policies should be handled by the states, rather than the national government? In an era characterized by stark party polarization there is reason to suspect that attitudes regarding federalism are shaped by partisan considerations. Specifically, reported support for devolution may be driven by exposure to elite partisan cues and partisan reasoning tied to which political party devolution would empower. Using data from the 2022 Cooperative Election Study, we find that partisans tend to differ—often substantially—in their support for state-level decision-making regarding concrete policy proposals. However, these differences are largely driven by those who are most likely to be exposed to elite cues. We also find that, among both Democrats and Republicans, support for policy devolution is contingent on which party controls the state legislature in an individual’s state. The findings suggest that partisanship plays a central role in shaping what the public says when asked about which level of government should determine whether to implement specific policy proposals.

Is support for “states’ rights” really about federalism, or partisanship? Doherty, Touchton & Lyons show views on devolving policy to states hinge on elite cues & which party controls the legislature. #AmericanPolitics
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Independent Political Networks: Comparing the Discussion Network Size and Composition of Partisans, Leaners, and Independents - Political Behavior Most prior U.S. political discussion research has failed to pay close attention to the networks of political independents, and to the differences between true partisans, leaners, and true independents. This is in direct contrast to the (appropriately) growing research attention paid to the decades-long rise in the proportion of independents and the decline of true partisans. This study presents representative U.S. survey data that compares political discussion frequency, network size, and the partisan composition of the discussion networks of partisans, leaners, and independents. After applying controls for ideological strength and political interest, we find that the three groups do not differ in discussion frequency or network size. However, there are meaningful differences across the groups in three different network composition measures, including partisan bias. We interpret our findings in the context of both applied measurement considerations and normative democratic expectations of partisan diversity within discussion networks.

How do independents talk politics? Eveland & Gee show that while partisans & true independents have similar discussion frequency & network size, their networks differ in partisan composition, shaping democratic diversity. #PoliticalBehavior
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Pro-climate Voting in Response to Local Flooding - Political Behavior Political Behavior -

Can local climate disasters shift voting behavior? Damsbo-Svendsen finds severe flooding in Denmark boosts support for pro-climate parties & candidates, evidence that personal experience with climate risks raises issue salience. #ClimatePolitics
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Media Exposure to Highly Skilled Immigrants and Attitudes Toward Immigration - Political Behavior Can exposure to successful immigrants in the mass media affect perceptions of immigrants and alter attitudes toward immigration? To address this question, I study the case of Ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sah...

Can media stories about immigrant success shift public opinion? Unan shows German coverage of BioNTech’s Turkish-German founders boosted support for easing immigration, evidence that positive exposure can reshape perceptions. #Immigration
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Pathways to Substantive Representation: Policy Congruence and Policy Knowledge Among Canadian Local Politicians - Political Behavior In recent years, new data and methods have reinvigorated research on two central elements of elite political behavior: politicians’ congruence with and knowledge of citizens’ opinions. Here, we survey...

Do local politicians know their constituents’ views, or just happen to align with them? Lucas, Sheffer & Loewen show congruence and perceptual accuracy are intertwined pathways to substantive representation in Canada. #Representation
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Tilly versus Milward: Experimental Evidence of Public Preferences for European Defense Amidst the Russian Threat - Political Behavior Following the “bellicist” school of state formation, the external threat of war is expected to spur polity formation by centralizing military capacity (Tilly, in Coercion, Capital, and European States...

Russia’s invasion was expected to centralize EU defense, echoing Tilly’s state-formation logic. But Moise, Truchlewski & Oana show public preferences lean Milward—threats strengthen national coordination, not EU centralization. #Security
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Seeking the Public Good: Public Service Motivation and Political Ambition - Political Behavior Many previous studies have shown that public service motivation (PSM) is associated with public sector employment. However, with few exceptions, such studies have focused on unelected positions in pub...

Public service motivation isn’t just about bureaucrats. Hassell, Hollibaugh & Miles show it also predicts ambition for elected, judicial & high-level public sector roles. APM transcends institutions in shaping public service goals. #PublicService
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Using Cell-phone Mobility Data to Study Voter Turnout - Political Behavior Studies of voting behavior in some settings may be hampered by poor data availability or unsuitably large units of aggregation for reported turnout. We propose and demonstrate a practical big-data sol...

Big data meets democracy: Harada, Ito & Smith show how cell-phone mobility data tracks voter turnout. By mapping GPS near polling stations, they uncover how distance shapes the cost of voting. #Elections #VoterTurnout
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Winning At All Costs? How Negative Partisanship Affects Voter Decision-Making - Political Behavior Do voters who dislike the other side prefer candidates who can win, even if they are less representative? Negative partisanship is an important feature of American politics, but few scholars have exam...

Negative partisanship reshapes primaries. Albert & Costa show voters who strongly dislike the other side prioritize electability over representation—trading ideological fit for candidates they believe can win. #Elections #NegativePartisanship
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The Politics of Rural Hospital Closures - Political Behavior Who do citizens hold responsible for outcomes and experiences? Hundreds of rural hospitals have closed or significantly reduced their capacity since just 2010, leaving much of the rural U.S. without a...

Rural hospital closures reshape politics as much as health care. Shepherd finds voters in communities losing hospitals shifted Republican, even though closures were more common in GOP-led states without Medicaid expansion. #HealthPolitics
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Does Peer Socialization Within Cohorts Foster Political Attitudes? A Longitudinal Study of Elite Business Students - Political Behavior The association between higher education and political attitudes is well-recognized, and research suggests that socialization amongst peers is one of the most probable mechanisms explaining a possible...

Peer socialization in elite business schools may not drive political attitudes after all. Lindskog, Gustafsson & Voytiv show that changes reflect self-selection more than cohort influence, with Covid disruptions underscoring the limits of socialization.
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Editorial Expression of Concern: Reframing Gendered Issues: Intersectional Identity Frames and Policy Agendas - Political Behavior Political Behavior -

Editorial Expression of Concern: Reframing Gendered Issues: Intersectional Identity Frames and Policy Agenda
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Making Issues Matter: Local Media and Policy-Based Evaluations of Politicians - Political Behavior Does the media enhance issue accountability? Many argue it does by covering where politicians stand on policy. However, evidence of this process is limited and fails to address two alternatives. First...

Peterson & Jeong find that local media strengthens issue accountability. By reducing uncertainty about legislators’ policy positions, news makes voters more likely to evaluate politicians on issues, not just party lines. #MediaAndPolitics
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Explaining Protest Participation in Semi-authoritarian Regimes: The Power of Social Networks - Political Behavior This study uses the case of ecological protests in the Russian Federation and the social network of 903 263 VKontakte users to investigate the unique characteristics of protesters’ social networks and...

Kopacheva shows protest in semi-authoritarian Russia is not just about exposure to info. Network position matters: brokers in low-density, high-closure networks mobilize more, while central nodes participate less. #ProtestPolitics
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Group Consciousness, Organizational Membership, and District Choice: Evidence from the Afro-Colombian Reserved Seats - Political Behavior Numerous countries around the globe have undertaken efforts aimed at enhancing political representation. One of these efforts has taken the institutional form of reserved seats or ethnic districts whe...

Villamizar-Chaparro & Echeverri-Pineda find that group consciousness, not ethnic org membership, drives Afro-Colombians to favor reserved seats—representation rooted in identity over institutions.
#IdentityPolitics #LatinAmerica
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White Racial Resentment and Gender Attitudes: An Enduring Connection or an Artifact of the 2016 Election? - Political Behavior Several studies have demonstrated the importance of racial resentment and sexism in voting in the 2016 election. While this could be primarily a function of the particular electoral context, this stud...

Strawbridge, Silber Mohamed, & Lucas show that racial resentment has long been tied to gendered attitudes in U.S. politics. Across five elections, racism and sexism reflect a broader system-justifying worldview, not just a 2016 spillover.
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Countering Authoritarian Behavior in Democracies - Political Behavior Democratic stability hinges on voters’ commitment to democratic norms, yet there are many examples of voters’ willingness to tolerate politicians who violate such principles. This article examines whe...

Hobolt & Osnabrügge find that voters are less likely to support authoritarian politicians when criticized by fellow legislators, with costly criticism proving effective. Co-partisan pushback can reduce authoritarian appeal. #ComparativePolitics
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Democracy at Gunpoint: American Gun Owners and Attitudes Towards Democracy - Political Behavior In recent years, research on gun ownership has grown substantially but there has been less exploration of variation within gun owners. This study examines the differences in support for democracy betw...

Middlewood, Finnell, & Vegter find that gun owners are not a unified bloc on democracy. ANES & GSS data show partisan identity—especially Trump support—drives variation in democratic attitudes more than firearm ownership itself. #Democracy
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The Narrow Reach of Targeted Corrections: No Impact on Broader Beliefs About Election Integrity - Political Behavior Fact-checks have been shown to be effective in correcting specific false beliefs, but do they also cause people to update their broader views about the phenomenon in question? We consider this questio...

Fact-checks can correct false beliefs about a specific election, but do not appear to shift broader views on election integrity. Evidence from the 2022 Arizona governor’s race highlights the limits of case-by-case corrections. #Misinformation
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Ballot Box Representation: Spatial Voting and the Effects of Information in Direct Democracy Elections - Political Behavior In states and localities with direct democracy, citizens can advance their policy interests without the aid of elected officials. Research documenting citizens’ lack of political knowledge raises ques...

In direct democracy elections, citizens often choose ballot alternatives closest to their ideological positions—political information further strengthens this alignment. Boudreau & MacKenzie show voters can advance their policy interests. #Elections
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Someone Like Me? Disability Identity and Representation Perceptions - Political Behavior Studies have shown that citizens from minoritized groups, including women and people of color, tend to feel better represented by politicians who share their identity, often translating into electoral...

New research from Reher & Evans shows that disability operates as a salient political identity: disabled citizens feel more represented when candidates share their disability status—a pattern mirrored among non-disabled citizens. #Representation
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The Influence of Descriptive Representation on Support for Judicial Nominees and the US Supreme Court - Political Behavior We argue that characteristics of unelected officials directly influence individuals’ perceptions and evaluations of them. These evaluations then have indirect, downstream consequences on evaluations o...

New findings from Miles Armaly, Christopher Krewson & Elizabeth Lane shows that descriptive representation shapes not just views of judicial nominees, but trust in the Court itself. #SCOTUS #DescriptiveRepresentation #RaceandPolitics
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The Effects of Voting by Mail on Correct Voting - Political Behavior The share of Americans voting by mail surged in 2020. For those casting a mail-in ballot, their voting experience was different from those who voted in-person. When voting by mail, people can make the...

Just out at @polbehavior.bsky.social w/Carey Stapleton:

Voting by mail has the upside of boosting correct voting.

When people vote by mail rather than in-person, they are more likely to choose the presidential candidate best aligned with their preferences.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Walls, Weed, and Coal: How Threats to Local Industry Shape Economic Voting - Political Behavior Do threats to local economic industry influence voting behavior? While research has shown that voters backlash against candidates whose policies negatively affect their socio-economic status, relative...

Collingwood, Morín & Tzelgov's recent paper shows voters often anticipate threats to local industries—and vote to protect them. From marijuana growers in CA to coal workers in WV, economic self-interest drives voting patterns. #EconVoting
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Narcissism and Affective Polarization - Political Behavior There are increasing concerns about affective polarization between political groups in the US and elsewhere. While most work explaining affective polarization focuses on a combination of social and id...

James Tilley & Sara Hobolt's newest publication finds that narcissistic personalities fuel affective polarization in the UK. Narcissism predicts both loyalty to in-groups and hostility to out-groups, deepening political divides.
#AffectivePolarization
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