Independent Politics - How American Disdain for Parties Leads to Political Inaction

Description

Half title......Page 2 Title page......Page 4 Imprints page......Page 5 Contents......Page 7 Figures......Page 8 Tables......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 11 1 Independents in Name Only......Page 16 1.1 Going Undercover......Page 20 1.2 “I Don't Like Political Parties”......Page 23 1.3 The Social Value of Independence and Its Consequences......Page 29 1.3.1 The Partisan Consequences of Going Undercover......Page 31 1.3.2 The Behavioral Consequences of Going Undercover......Page 33 1.4 Plan of the Book......Page 36 2 Inside the Mind of an Independent Voter in America......Page 42 2.1 Independents in America......Page 45 2.1.1. The Birth of the Independent Survey Respondent......Page 46 2.1.2 Questioning the Role of Independents......Page 48 2.1.3 Revisiting Independents......Page 51 2.1.4 Where Do We Go From Here?......Page 54 2.2 Partisanship as Impression Management......Page 55 2.2.1. The Role of Self-Monitoring......Page 59 2.2.2 The Role of Negative Information......Page 63 2.2.3. You're Wrong, Mr. President!......Page 66 2.2.3.1 Media Coverage of Partisans and Independents......Page 68 2.2.3.2 Putting Media Coverage and Partisanship Together......Page 72 2.2.4 Behavioral Consequences of Undercover Partisanship......Page 74 2.2.5 Summary of Theoretical Expectations......Page 77 2.3 Why Americans Avoid Partisanship and Why It Matters......Page 78 3 How Do You Like Me Now? The Desirability of Political Independence......Page 85 3.1 Partisanship as an Identity......Page 88 3.2 Selecting a Party to Make an Impression......Page 90 3.2.1 Making the Best Impression......Page 91 3.2.2.1 Informational Cues......Page 95 3.2.2.2 Study Results......Page 97 3.3 Putting Your Best Foot Forward......Page 100 3.3.1.1 Information about Parties......Page 101 3.3.1.2 Self-Monitoring......Page 103 3.3.1.3 Results......Page 104 3.3.2 Information, Identification, and Issue Positioning......Page 110 3.3.3 Patterns of Partisan Avoidance......Page 113 3.4 Todd Akin Has Thoughts on Rape......Page 115 3.5 Taking Cues......Page 120 4 Everybody Hates Partisans......Page 126 4.1 Assessing Perceptions of Partisans......Page 128 4.2 Imagine Me and You as Partisans......Page 131 4.2.1 Capturing an Image......Page 133 4.2.2 Visualizing the Party......Page 137 4.3 These Are the People in My Neighborhood......Page 142 4.3.1 Comparing Neighborhoods......Page 144 4.3.2 Where Do You Want to Live?......Page 148 4.4 Hey, Good-Looking......Page 154 4.4.1 This Is What a Partisan Looks Like......Page 155 4.4.2 Who Is Attractive and Likable?......Page 157 4.5 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels......Page 164 5 Partisanship and Political Participation......Page 168 5.1 The Mysterious Disappearance of Partisan Bumper Stickers......Page 171 5.2 Social Political Action......Page 173 5.3 You Are Your Social Media Profile......Page 178 5.3.1 Creating a Social Network......Page 180 5.3.2 Who Makes Politics Public?......Page 183 5.4 Partisan Stickers Revisited......Page 191 5.4.1 Please Take a Sticker......Page 193 5.4.2. Who Displays Stickers and Who Goes Undercover?......Page 198 5.5 Can I Talk To You About Politics?......Page 202 5.5.1 Fostering Discussion......Page 205 5.5.2. Who Is Willing to Participate?......Page 207 5.6 Secret Admirers......Page 211 6 Undercover Partisans in America......Page 217 6.1. Experimental Politics......Page 219 6.2. Measuring Mass Political Preferences......Page 220 6.2.1 Capturing Mechanisms with Survey Data......Page 221 6.2.2 Varieties of Partisan Avoidance......Page 224 6.2.3 Searching for Patterns in a Survey World......Page 225 6.3. Abandoning Partisanship......Page 227 6.3.1. Picking “Independent”......Page 228 6.3.2. Partisan or Independent?......Page 231 6.3.3 A Bad Year for Republicans......Page 234 6.4 Some of My Best Friends are Independent......Page 238 6.5 Political Action......Page 242 6.5.1. Analyzing Behavior: Persuading Others......Page 245 6.5.2. Analyzing Behavior: Political Actions......Page 249 6.6. Partisans Undercover......Page 251 7 The Myth of Partisan Compromise......Page 257 7.1 Talking the Talk......Page 260 7.1.1. The Promised Land of Compromise......Page 264 7.2 Walking the Walk......Page 266 7.2.1. Tracking the Preferences for Compromise......Page 267 7.2.2. Make Your Choice......Page 273 7.2.3. Capturing Preferences for Compromise......Page 276 7.3 Leaning Independents and Responses to Compromise......Page 278 7.4. High Self-Monitors and Responses to Compromise......Page 283 7.5. Pure Independents and Responses to Compromise......Page 288 7.6 What If There Is No Compromise?......Page 291 7.7. Compromise or Moderation?......Page 294 7.8. Nothing More Than Feelings......Page 297 8 The Partisan Underground in an Era of Polarization......Page 301 8.1 The State of Partisanship in America......Page 304 8.1.1. The Expression of Partisanship......Page 306 8.2 Going Undercover: Remaining Questions......Page 310 8.2.1 Are Americans More Partisan?......Page 312 8.2.2. Are Americans More Politically Active?......Page 315 8.3 Where Have All the Partisans Gone?......Page 321 Appendix......Page 328 A1.1 Descriptions and Demographics of Experimental Samples......Page 329 A1.1 National Adult Samples......Page 332 A1.2 Internet Samples......Page 335 A1.3 Face-to-Face Samples......Page 338 Study 3.2 Treatments......Page 341 Study 3.3 Treatments......Page 343 Study 4.1 Treatments......Page 344 Study 4.2 Treatments......Page 346 Study 4.3 Treatments......Page 347 Study 5.3 Treatments......Page 348 Study 7.1 Treatments......Page 349 A3. Self-Monitoring......Page 354 References......Page 357 Index......Page 384