Ideological Realignment in the Contemporary U.S. Electorate Revisited^*

Abstract

Objective. In this study, we revisit the ideological-realignment theory proposed by Abramowitz and Saunders (1998) by assessing the varying impact a person's ideology had on his or her partisan identification for individuals in different regions and between men and women. Method. Through an examination of the NES cumulative data file and the 1992-1994 NES Panel Study, we present a series of tabular findings, an OLS regression model, and partial correlation coefficients to assess these changing subgroup dynamics. Results. Between 1978 and 1994, the impact of a person's ideology on his or her party identification grew in magnitude, while the impact of respondents' parental party identification on their own party identification waned. However, these changes were not felt uniformly throughout the electorate, with Southern white males and Southern white females exhibiting the greatest changes. In the case of Southern white males, racial issues now appear to be related to their party identification. Conclusion. We find support for the ideological-realignment theory, but find evidence that such changes occurred rather unevenly throughout the electorate, suggesting that different dynamics of realignment may be at work simultaneously.

Friendships Moderate an Association between a Dopamine Gene Variant and Political Ideology

“…These early findings have been critiqued from both a methodological and conceptual perspective, and the general consensus has been that the public is not particularly ideological or sophisticated, but neither is it totally unreasoning nor unopinionated (Sniderman et al 1991). Ideological labels are more salient (Treier and Hillygus 2005; Holbrook 1996; Hinich and Munger 1997) and more meaningful as party leaders and elites polarize (McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal; Hinich and Munger 1997; Abramowitz and Saunders 1998; Hetherington 2001; Schreckhise and Shields 2003; Jacobson 2003). They are also useful (Lau and Redlawsk 1997, Jacoby 2004), even if not everyone precisely agrees on what the terms “liberal” and “conservative” mean.…”

Friendships Moderate an Association Between a Dopamine Gene Variant and Political Ideology

“…These early findings have been critiqued from both a methodological and conceptual perspective, and the general consensus has been that the public is not particularly ideological or sophisticated, but neither is it totally unreasoning nor unopinionated (Sniderman et al 1991). Ideological labels are more salient (Treier and Hillygus 2005;Holbrook 1996;Hinich and Munger 1997) and more meaningful as party leaders and elites polarize (McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal;Hinich and Munger 1997;Abramowitz and Saunders 1998;Hetherington 2001;Schreckhise and Shields 2003;Jacobson 2003). They are also useful Redlawsk 1997, Jacoby 2004), even if not everyone precisely agrees on what the terms "liberal" and "conservative" mean.…”

The Gender Gap in Ideology

“…At the mass level, changes in partisanship over the past 30 years are part of an ideological realignment (Abramowitz and Saunders 1998;Hetherington 2001;Schreckhise and Shields 2003). As a result, ideology and partisanship became more closely linked, especially among the active electorate (Box-Steffensmeier and DeBoef 2001; Levine et al 1997).…”