Political Polarization and Wellbeing: Investigating Potential Intrapersonal Harm From Affective Polarization.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Political Science
• Sociology

Background:

• Affective polarization (AP), or antipathy towards political out-groups, is theorized to harm social cohesion and individual wellbeing.
• Previous research suggests AP is linked to reduced social support, increased stress, and poorer physical health.

Purpose of the Study:

• This study investigated the intrapersonal harm of affective polarization using a longitudinal survey design.
• The research aimed to determine if changes in AP predict changes in wellbeing indicators.

Main Methods:

• A six-wave longitudinal survey (N = 470) measured affective polarization, social support, perceived stress, and self-rated health fortnightly for three months.
• Random intercept cross-lagged panel models were used to analyze within-person effects.

Main Results:

• No significant longitudinal effects were found: changes in affective polarization did not predict subsequent changes in social support, stress, or health.
• Cross-sectional analyses confirmed that higher AP was associated with lower social support, greater stress, and worse health.
• Perceived stress was found to moderately increase affective polarization, and liberals reported higher AP and stress.

Conclusions:

• The findings challenge the assumption that affective polarization directly causes declines in wellbeing.
• While cross-sectional associations persist, longitudinal data did not support AP as a direct driver of reduced wellbeing.
• Further research with robust designs is needed to fully understand the complex relationship between affective polarization and wellbeing.