Perceptions of Similarity and Agreement in Partisan Groups

Abstract

This chapter examines whether there are perceptual differences in how partisan identifiers think about the in-group and out-group, and whether these judgments relate reliably to other attitudes and political behaviors. It first selectively reviews the psychological literature on social identity theory and group-based perceptual differences, focusing primarily on the out-group homogeneity effect. The subsequent analyses then consider and examine: how perceptions of in-group and out-group similarity and agreement vary among Democrats and Republicans, whether these judgments are systematically related to affective judgments about political groups and political figures, and whether these judgments relate to conventional political behaviors, such as voter turnout and vote choice. Finally, the chapter concludes with a set of recommendations for future research.