Volume 1Labels, sorting and partisan feeling

Party identification and ideological labels drew closer together in American surveys. The volume asks what the labels contain, in the United States and about 100 countries, how the alignment changed across birth cohorts, and how it differs from partisans' feelings toward the other party.

Volume 2Coalitions and political differences

Participation, group coalitions, issues and attitudes toward institutions and democracy, 1948 to 2024. Party gaps on these measures differ in size and timing, and some reverse with control of the presidency, so no single trend describes them.

Volume 3Votes, giving and places

Election returns, donor records and county data count different populations at different scales. The volume follows the vote from counties to precincts and down the ballot, compares donors with voters, and returns from places to the people who live in them.

Volume 2: Coalitions and political differences

Part V

Institutions and democratic attitudes

Party gaps in confidence widened institution by institution, approval of strong leaders rose across countries while stated support for democracy changed less, and justifying political violence shows no detectable party gap.

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Confidence in an institution, tolerance of a speaker, a preference for democracy and approval of political violence are separate judgments, and a party gap on one does not carry over to the others. Chapter 5.1, Confidence in thirteen institutions shows that party gaps in confidence depend on the institution and sometimes on which party holds power. Chapter 5.2, Tolerance of speech compares speakers one target at a time rather than scoring either party's tolerance in general. Chapter 5.3, Support for democracy turns to international evidence and separates approval of democracy from approval of a strong leader or army rule. Chapter 5.4, Political violence and democratic norms returns to American evidence and separates abstract approval of violence from judgments about election legitimacy and from conduct. Each measure is reported on its own terms. Trust in government, trust in science and trust in other people are on the research agenda.

Chapters

5.1
Confidence in thirteen institutions
Among respondents interviewed in person, the average size of the gap between Democrats and Republicans in confidence across thirteen institutions was 4.8 points in 1973-1980 and 9.4 points in 2022-2024.
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5.2
Tolerance of speech
In 2008 to 2018 Democrats allowed a racist speaker 6.8 points less often than Republicans did, while the party gaps on four speakers that conservatives are expected to object to were within 2.1 points of zero.
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5.3
Support for democracy
In a fixed set of countries, support for a democratic system changed by +1.2 points between 1995 to 1998 and 2017 to 2023, while approval of a strong leader rose by 9.9 points and army rule by 7.6 points.
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5.4
Political violence and democratic norms
In the 2024 ANES, 17.2% of adult citizens said violence to pursue political goals is justified at least a little, with no party gap that the data separate from zero.
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4 further questions for this part are on the research agenda.