Examining Trends in Ideological Identification: 1972–2016

Has polarization influenced how members of the public identify with ideological labels? In our analysis of patterns of ideological identification since the 1970s, we demonstrate that there has been an increase in the proportion of the electorate willing to locate themselves on the standard seven-point ideological scale as the parties have polarized. Moreover, consistent with existing evidence of partisan-ideological sorting, our results indicates that most of the increase in identifying with a label is associated with an increase in partisans selecting the ideological label that matches their partisanship. Finally, we show that attitudes toward moral traditionalism are increasingly related to ideological identifications. Our evidence indicates that the broader political system influences how members of the public identify with ideological labels.

Pathways to Conservative Identification

This chapter considers a long-standing paradox in American public opinion: that the American public is, on average, operationally liberal and at the same time symbolically conservative. It discusses the reasons for and implications of it, working to understand why so many citizens who hold predominantly liberal policy preferences identify as ideological conservatives. This chapter argues that because of its nonpolitical connotations and the way in which it is used by political elites, the ideological label “conservative” is both more popular and more multidimensional than the label “liberal.” It suggests three general “pathways” through which an individual can approach the decision to identify as ideological conservatives.