Elements of Party Identification in Context:

Comparing Three Dimensions of Partisan, Ideological, and Religious Group Identities

Francis Neely

Department of Political Science

San Francisco State University

fneely@sfsu.edu

DRAFT—PLEASE DO NOT CITE WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR

This research was supported by the California State University’s Social Science Research and Instructional Council and the Field Research Corporation. Thanks to Ed Nelson and the Council, and Mark DiCamillo at Field.

Paper prepared for presentation at the 68^th Annual National Conference of the Midwest Political Science Association, April 22 – 25, 2010, Chicago

Abstract

With new measures I examine three dimensions of party identity: Centrality, Ingroup Affect, and Ingroup Ties (Cameron 2004). These strength-of-identity scales are equally suited for measuring ideological and religious identities. Data from a statewide 2010 survey of registered voters in California allow the first close comparison of the affective and cognitive elements of identity across party, ideology, and religion. Levels of the three factors were similar for those three groups. The two affective dimensions were more prevalent and more closely related to respondents’ political dispositions. Conservatives more than others revealed a connection between their affective aspects of identity and their political attitudes and vote choices. Liberals showed almost no such connection. Republicans’ and Democrats’ affective identities related to their political attitudes in about half of the tests conducted. I discuss what these new measures contribute in regard to theories of social group identity and our understanding of party identification.