Demographic change and political polarization in the United States

Levi Boxell

Economics Letters, 2020, vol. 192, issue C

Abstract: I construct an index of political polarization using seven previously used measures. I estimate the relative propensity for polarization across demographic groups and examine the extent to which demographic change can explain recent trends in polarization. Assuming fixed propensities for polarization across groups, 34 percent of the change in polarization between 1984 and 2016 can be attributed to demographic change in the United States. Shifts in the educational, religious, and age compositions of the United States are the main contributing factors.

Keywords: Mass polarization; Partisan animosity; Affective polarization; Education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Working Paper: Demographic Change and Political Polarization in the United States (2018)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolet:v:192:y:2020:i:c:s0165176520301385

DOI: 10.1016/j.econlet.2020.109187

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