Abstract
In this research, we examine the role of attachment to an ideological group as a source of stability in a volatile multi-party system. In two studies conducted in Israel (N = 1320), we show that a multi-item Attachment to an Ideological Group (AIG) scale is strongly tied to vote choice and political engagement, and its effects are independent of, and more powerful than, issue-based ideology and partisan identity strength. Compared to individuals with a weak ideological attachment, those who score highly on the AIG scale are more likely to vote for a party from their ideological camp and participate in politics. Moreover, in two survey experiments, respondents high in AIG displayed stronger anger or enthusiasm—known harbingers of political action—in response to threat or reassurance to their ideological group’s status, attesting to a link between AIG and political engagement. Our findings underscore the importance of ideological group attachments in a volatile multi-party system.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1164-1175 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Party Politics |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We wish to thank Matthew Graham, Alon Yakter, Michael Freedman, Guy Grossman, Raanan Sulitzeanu-Kenan and Shaul Shenhav for helpful comments. Earlier versions of this article were presented at the 2019 annual meetings of the Israeli Political Science Association and the International Society of Political Psychology. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation (ISF Grant 751/18 allotted to the first author).
Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was supported by a grant from the Israel Science Foundation (ISF Grant 751/18 allotted to the first author).
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
Keywords
- Ideology
- Israel
- ideological identity
- multi-party system
- survey experiment