Across the Aisle and Over the Fence: Geographic Sorting and Affective Polarization

In recent decades, American localities have become increasingly politically homogenous (Bishop & Cushing, 2008) while affective polarization has also increased dramatically (Iyengar et al., 2019). Across two studies, we examine the role of geographic sorting on affective polarization in the United States. We hypothesized that individuals living in areas with little exposure to outpartisans will report higher levels of affective polarization. In Study 1, we analyze data from the 2016 American National Election Study (ANES) and find that Americans who live in counties with greater proportions of out-partisans tend to have lower levels of party-directed affective polarization, even after controlling for party identity strength and policy views. In Study 2, we conducted a pre-registered study with original data and find that partisans who have more cross-party exposure in their counties and precincts report lower levels of social distance from out-party members, but not significantly lower voter-directed affective polarization. When individuals self-reported their own levels of cross-party contact, those with greater cross-party contact reported lower levels of voter-directed affective polarization and social distance. Where an individual lives, and who lives nearby, can be important predictors of how members of opposing political parties relate to each other.