Divided we fall? How polarization shapes (anti-)democratic process preferences

Polarization, or the increasing distance between actors, is widespread in contemporary societies. Citizens diverging in their standpoints or ideologies (idea-based polarization) become increasingly entrenched in their own worldviews, while those diverging over their identities (identity-based polarization) increasingly disengage with each other, leading to discrimination, out-group hostility or even violence. This study contributes to the ongoing conversation about the negative consequences of polarization by examining how increasing polarization may impact (anti-)democratic process preferences. More specifically, we investigate whether higher levels of idea-based and/or identity-based polarization shape preferences for either democratic, technocratic, or autocratic governance. After all, the more one disagrees with or dislikes one’s fellow citizens, the less one might support democratic institutions which protect the individual freedoms of those one diverges from. The concerning rise of certain anti-establishment groupings such as the Reichsburgers in Germany shows that those preferences have far-reaching consequences. As institutions are fundamental in a democracy, investigating how polarization might affect the attitudes towards them, is very important in this era of democratic backsliding. Using a novel survey in the UK (n = 1000) that uses fine-grained measures of polarization on the topics of Brexit, transgender rights and political orientation, this study sheds new light on the relationship between polarization and government preferences.