What and Who Polarizes? A Survey Experiment on Issue-Based Affective Polarization

There is growing evidence of citizens' increasing hostility toward people with different views and emotional attachment to ones with similar opinions. In the literature, this phenomenon is commonly understood as affective polarization. While existing research predominantly focuses on affective polarization among partisans, this study explores the potential emergence of identities along fault lines created by societal crises such as the so-called migrant crisis, climate change and current conflicts. Although there is a small but growing field studying affective polarization beyond a partisan context, there is still a big gap regarding the origin and potential of issue-based affective polarization. Through a cross-national survey experiment in six European countries, we address two fundamental questions: What polarizes and who polarizes? In this study, we analyze and compare the potential of various issues to affectively polarize. Moreover, we shed light on the role of polarization actors, such as political elites and the media. This study contributes to the literature by broadening the scope of affective polarization beyond a partisan context and giving valuable insights into the prevalence and origin of issue-based affective polarization.