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.

Conclusion

Where political alignment holds

Planned This chapter has not been written. It is listed so the book shows its full scope.

The question

Across ideological labels, issue positions, social groups, election returns and donors, where does party alignment hold, where does it come apart, and what can each record establish about political change?

The data

ANES Cumulative Data FileYears: 1948-2024 (33 study years; even years only after 2004; no 2006, 2010 or 2014 study)
General Social SurveyYears: 1972-2024 (35 study years)
Cooperative Election StudyYears: 2006-2024 (every year; self-reported turnout is available in the 10 even years)
County election returnsYears: President 1868-2024 (40 elections); House and Senate 1990-2024

anesgsscescounty-returns

The scope

Individuals Each row of the data is a person, so results describe people and can be compared across groups.

The conclusion comes after the last part. Its unit of analysis is individuals. See how the book treats evidence.