Elite Polarization: How Incivility Lowers Trust While Issue Stances Create Attitude Divides

Citizens are affected by elite partisan polarization in several ways, including political distrust and partisans' own polarized views. However, it was unclear if these effects stem from parties moving apart on issues or increasing disrespect between them.

This article disentangles the two dimensions with four studies using mixed methods. The findings show that an uncivil tone lowers political trust among citizens but does not increase certainty about politics itself.

Issue polarization alone creates attitude polarization—partisans become more ideologically entrenched—but it doesn't directly cause affective polarization (emotional distancing).

The results demonstrate distinct effects for each dimension of elite polarization and clarify their unique contributions to citizen experiences.