The Polarization of the American Public: A Study of the Effects of Changing Demographics

Bachtel, Royse

The Polarization of the American Public: A Study of the Effects of Changing Demographics

Persistent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10456/46046

Author(s)

Bachtel, Royse

Date Issued

April 11, 2018

Abstract

American political culture has frequently been criticized for the polarized nature of its political elite. However, over the past sixteen years, there has been a definite decline in the way that individual Americans with party affiliations view other Americans with opposing beliefs. In a case study of Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania over the course of fifty years, this research lays out the way that Americans in different geographic contexts have been affected by changing demographics around them. With the help of Census data and “feeling thermometer” measures from the American National Election Studies, it is clear that there are trends of the perception of the opposition occurring. The data supplied and displayed in this research shows that the demographic makeup of communities and the geographic context of these communities have the power and influence to alter individuals’ identities, affect the rural-urban divide, and, ultimately, impact the way that Americans view each other.

Major

Political Science

Honors

Political Science, 2018

First Reader(s)

Callen, Zachary A.