The theoretical debate on the nature of partisanship has given much attention to its relation with policy preferences. The Michigan school argues that partisanship is acquired early in life and subsequently serves as a stable basis for the acquisition of policy preferences. The Rochester school contrarily argues that policy preferences are a cause of partisanship, more than a result. However, research on this issue has generally not focused on the life-phase most central to partisanship acquisition: adolescence and early adulthood. The present study therefore investigated the longitudinal dynamics of left-right identification (as indicator of partisanship) and policy preferences. We used cross-lagged models on a three-wave cohort-sequential panel dataset of 1302 Dutch youths between age 12 and 31. Findings suggest that voters acquire their left-right identification and policy preferences through a mutual dynamic association that gradually creates a more coherent and persistent identification for highly educated than for low educated voters.
