Negative partisanship

<p>Negative partisanship is the tendency of some voters to form their political opinions primarily in opposition to <a href="/facts/Political_party/IAKw7oEK">political parties</a> they dislike. Whereas traditional <a href="/facts/Partisan_(politics)/ttMogvA0">partisanship</a> involves supporting the policy positions of one's own party, its negative counterpart in turn means opposing those positions of a disliked party. It has been claimed to be the cause of severe <a href="/facts/Political_polarization/fYgdHgh7">polarization</a> in <a href="/facts/American_politics/huMQkzQD">American politics</a>. It has also been studied in the <a href="/facts/Politics_of_Canada/YLecfoKH">Canadian context</a>, as well as in <a href="/facts/Politics_of_Australia/39tyvzUL">Australia</a> and <a href="/facts/Politics_of_New_Zealand/1kvujTeS">New Zealand</a>. Cross-national studies indicate that negative partisanship undermines public satisfaction with democracy, which threatens democratic stability. Traditional partisans, on the other hand, are more likely to support their country's democracy, which promotes democratic stability.
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Negative partisanship open-in-new

Negative partisanship