Negative Voting and Affective Polarization

This section of our empirical analysis connects negative voting to affective polarization (AP) looking at both its quantity and its polarity. Results show that voters characterized by higher levels on the quantity of AP (i.e., the extent to which they like the in-party more than the out-party) are actually less likely to cast a negative vote. When it comes to the polarity of affect (i.e., the extent to which affect for the in-party overcomes disdain for the out-party), however, we find that negative voting is more prevalent among voters characterized by a negative polarity (i.e., their out-party disdain overcomes their in-party affection).