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Social Capital in a Divided America: The Relationship between Economic Bridging and Affective Polarization

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  • David E. Campbell

Abstract

Does political polarization decline as relational bridges are built between people from different social and economic backgrounds? Circumstantial evidence supports the existence of a relationship: social capital has declined during the same period that affective polarization has risen. To date, though, we have lacked data to test whether the two are, in fact, dynamically related. In this article, I measure the extent of bridging social capital among people within zip codes, generated from 21 billion Facebook friendships of 72.2 million Americans. Using two measures of affective polarization—feeling thermometers and partisan traits—the analysis shows that people who live in communities with more economic bridging are less affectively polarized and that conversations among people who have different political views is a possible causal mechanism. These effects are more pronounced for the affluent and for Republicans—and for affluent Republicans most of all.

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  • David E. Campbell, 2023. "Social Capital in a Divided America: The Relationship between Economic Bridging and Affective Polarization," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 708(1), pages 102-120, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:708:y:2023:i:1:p:102-120
    DOI: 10.1177/00027162241228121
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    1. Raj Chetty & Matthew O. Jackson & Theresa Kuchler & Johannes Stroebel & Nathaniel Hendren & Robert B. Fluegge & Sara Gong & Federico Gonzalez & Armelle Grondin & Matthew Jacob & Drew Johnston & Martin, 2022. "Social capital I: measurement and associations with economic mobility," Nature, Nature, vol. 608(7921), pages 108-121, August.
    2. Knack, Stephen & Kropf, Martha, 1998. "For shame! The effect of community cooperative context on the probability of voting," MPRA Paper 27258, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Raj Chetty & Matthew O. Jackson & Theresa Kuchler & Johannes Stroebel & Nathaniel Hendren & Robert B. Fluegge & Sara Gong & Federico Gonzalez & Armelle Grondin & Matthew Jacob & Drew Johnston & Martin, 2022. "Social capital II: determinants of economic connectedness," Nature, Nature, vol. 608(7921), pages 122-134, August.
    4. Jan G. Voelkel & James Chu & Michael N. Stagnaro & Joseph S. Mernyk & Chrystal Redekopp & Sophia L. Pink & James N. Druckman & David G. Rand & Robb Willer, 2023. "Interventions reducing affective polarization do not necessarily improve anti-democratic attitudes," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 55-64, January.
    5. Rupasingha, Anil & Goetz, Stephan J. & Freshwater, David, 2006. "The production of social capital in US counties," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 83-101, February.
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