Affective Polarization and Selective Avoidance

Extreme levels of distrust and animosity based on political attachments is one of the defining characteristics of affective polarization. A concerning consequences of affective polarization for democratic governance is declining interactions and deliberation between citizens based on partisanship lines. A recently emerging literature on selective avoidance shows a widespread trend of intentional avoidance of political expression on various social media platforms. However, drivers and varieties of selective avoidance as a critical behavioral consequence of affective polarization remains to be revealed. In this study, we examine different forms of selective avoidance using in-depth discussions among Turkish citizens using a focus group approach. Based on 15 focus groups with 65 participants representing the political, geographic, and socio-economic diversity of Turkey we identify significant differences between online and offline forms of selective avoidance. Moreover, we also show that individuals tend to strategically tailor their level of political expression based on the different type of social networks that they regularly interact with. The level of political expression of the same individual may be significantly different when they interact with networks with strong ties such as close family members vs. networks with weak ties such as work based acquaintances or distant friends online. Whether the individual feels in the minority in terms of their political views also interacts with the structure of social networks that they interact with.