How out-group animosity can shape partisan divisions: A model of affective polarization.

ABSTRACT: Politically divided societies are also often divided emotionally: people like and trust those with similar political views (in-group favoritism) while disliking and distrusting those with different views (out-group animosity). This phenomenon, called affective polarization, influences individual decisions, including seemingly apolitical choices such as whether to wear a mask or what car to buy. We present a dynamical model of decision-making in an affectively polarized society, identifying three potential global outcomes separated by a sharp boundary in the parameter space: consensus, partisan polarization, and nonpartisan polarization. Analysis reveals that larger out-group animosity compared to in-group favoritism, i.e. more hate than love, is sufficient for polarization, while la

SUBMITTER: Nettasinghe B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11927084 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature