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The Polarizing Effect of a Partisan Workplace

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2013

David A. Jones
David A. Jones*
Affiliation:
James Madison University
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Abstract

The workplace provides an exceptional outlet for citizens to encounter different viewpoints and discuss politics with people with whom they may disagree. In Washington, DC, however, many people work in partisan environments where like-minded coworkers rarely encounter alternate points of view. Group polarization theory suggests that these environments push individuals to the partisan and ideological extremes. This study tests this hypothesis by comparing opinion change among interns who worked in a partisan workplace with that of interns who were employed in less-partisan environments. The results suggest that partisan workplace environments foster opinion polarization, especially among Republicans.

Type
Features
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , January 2013 , pp. 67 - 73
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2013

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