The Power of Partisan Norms: How Social Expectations Shape Partisan Hostility and Civility

Partisan hostility has become a defining feature of contemporary American democracy. Democrats and Republicans increasingly view one another not merely as political opponents, but as morally suspect, untrustworthy, and even dangerous. Most efforts to reduce partisan polarization focus on intergroup contact, that is, exposing partisans to the other side. Less attention has been paid to how intraparty norms impact polarization. Political scientist Alexa Bankert will examine how norms communicated by party leaders and supporters within both parties affect citizens’ willingness to engage civilly across partisan lines. She will conduct a series of survey experiments for her study.