Fear and loathing across party lines in the (democratic) world: Affective polarization in comparative perspective.

In his presentation, Andres Reiljan will explore some of the key aspects of affective polarization, with a particular focus on its manifestations in multiparty contexts. He will first address the very basic question „What is (and what is not) affective polarization?“, arguing for a multidimensional definition of the concept. He will then discuss how we can measure affective polarization and explore which are the most/least polarized countries in the world. Moreover, Reiljan will show that partisan feelings are structured very differently across party systems, leading to different outcomes. Finally, using recently collected original survey data, he will examine some of the most problematic manifestations of affective polarization, such as discriminating against fellow citizens based on their party preference and engaging in partisan motivated reasoning.