Affective Polarization and Democratic Trust

Abstract

This panel tackles a broad question: how does affective polarization reshape citizens’ sense of democratic legitimacy? How does it impact who they trust, who they avoid, and what they consider acceptable in public life? Rather than treating polarization as confined to party competition, the papers examine how in-group/out-group thinking can travel into evaluations of institutions and everyday social relations, and how it interacts with people’s understandings of democracy itself. The papers suggest that affective polarization shapes and reflects social perceptions about fairness, impartiality, and democratic belonging. The panel shows why affective polarization may matter for democracy beyond immediate political stakes.

Title	Details
Conceptions of Democracy and Affective Polarization: Evidence from Political Social Distance in Europe	View Paper Details
Affective Polarization Among Party Members: Experimental Evidence from Brazil	View Paper Details
Strategies of Division: A Comparative Analysis of the Linguistic Construction of Affective Polarization in German Election Manifestos	View Paper Details
Beyond Politics: The Role of In-Group/Out-Group Thinking in Shaping Trust in Non-Political Institutions	View Paper Details
When Do Policy Disagreements Lead to Animosity and Avoidance Tendencies?	View Paper Details