Affective polarisation in the EU: evidence from eleven countries on partisan animosity and policy judgments

How do strong emotions against governing parties affect citizens’ judgments of the policy output? The concept of affective polarization is at the heart of this question and has been well-research in the context of American politics, we have evidence that it is also prominent within EU member states as well. The non-political implications of affective polarization, such as impact on friendship and the job market, have been widely studied, the policy implications have not been as extensively researched. The current literature suggests that it undermines democratic accountability: if perceptions of economic policies or probity in office are influenced by partisan animosity, then voters may fail to credit the successes of their opponents or may not punish mistakes and wrongdoing by their own side. This paper explores the extent to which partisan animosity provides strong cues affecting policy judgments. Using longitudinal and comparative individual data from eleven EU member states from a spread of different geographical groups we explore this question. Our findings contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms through which affective polarization can undermine democratic legitimacy and accountability.