How Republicans and Democrats Think and Feel:
Contrasting Group Identities and Their Impact on Partisan Attitudes and Behavior
Francis Neely
Department of Political Science
San Francisco State University
## email not listed ##
DRAFT—PLEASE DO NOT CITE WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR
This research was supported by the California State University’s Social Science Research and
Instructional Council and the Field Research Corporation. Thanks to Ed Nelson and the Council,
and Mark DiCamillo at Field.
Paper prepared for presentation at the 67
th
Annual National Conference of the Midwest Political
Science Association, April 2 – 5, 2009, Chicago
Abstract
I examine the affective and cognitive aspects of party identification with new measures
that capture feelings and thoughts about being a partisan rather than evaluations of or emotions
felt about a party. Distinctions are made between Democratic and Republican group identities
through analyses of three dimensions of identity (centrality, ingroup affect, and ingroup ties;
Cameron 2004). Social identity theory provides a framework in which I consider the influence
of those dimensions on political attitudes and behavior. A statewide 2007 survey of registered
voters in California included questions designed expressly for this purpose. Among both
Republicans and Democrats, partisan attitudes and vote intentions were related to ingroup
affect—the feelings one has about being a member of the group. This effect was stronger among
Republicans than Democrats. I discuss what these new measures contribute in regard to theories
of social group identity and our understanding of party identification in the U.S.
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