Party Preferences and Affective Polarization among Japanese Voters: Consequences of Moralizing Differences in Party Support
Minoru Karasawa (Nagoya University)
In recent years, many Western democracies have witnessed an attitudinal trend known as affective polarization among voters. Specifically, the gap between voters’ positive affective evaluations of their preferred party and their negative evaluations of non-preferred parties has widened, with the latter constituting the primary source of this divide. Little is known, however, about whether a similar trend exists in Asian countries. The present study examines the structure of party evaluations in Japan, where the party system has recently become increasingly fragmented. The results first indicated two major blocs of political parties, which could be broadly characterized as “conservative” and “liberal,” were construed among Japanese voters. Ratings on the feeling thermometer measure revealed
patterns resembling affective polarization observed in Western countries. Importantly, the strength of “moral conviction,” namely, the belief that party support carries moral implications, amplified this evaluative gap. Theoretical and practical implications of the role of moral conviction in partisan polarization are discussed.
English 
Italiano