Affective polarization around issues

While most research on affective polarization has focused on divisions along party lines, partisanship is far from the only salient divide in Western democracies. This chapter examines affective polarization that is rooted in issue-based identities, that is, political identities defined by shared opinions on a specific issue. Examples of such issues include Catalan independence, Brexit, gun ownership, and COVID vaccination. When the sense of belonging with other people who share the same opinion is accompanied by out-group hostility towards people on the other side of the argument, it can lead to issue-based affective polarization. We discuss the conditions under which this type of polarization emerges, focusing on the degree of contestation and existing inter-group conflict associated with the issue (issue contestation), the level of individual expressive action and behavioural engagement (issue expression), and the degree to which the issue aligns or cuts across partisan identities (issue alignment). In conclusion, we argue that there is potential for greater issue-based polarization, especially in contexts where partisan attachments are weak or weakening.