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Identity as Dependent Variable: How Americans Shift Their Identities to Align with Their Politics

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  • Patrick J. Egan

Abstract

Political science generally treats identities such as ethnicity, religion, and sexuality as “unmoved movers” in the chain of causality. I hypothesize that the growing salience of partisanship and ideology as social identities in the United States, combined with the increasing demographic distinctiveness of the nation's two political coalitions, is leading some Americans to engage in a self‐categorization and depersonalization process in which they shift their identities toward the demographic prototypes of their political groups. Analyses of a representative panel data set that tracks identities and political affiliations over a 4‐year span confirm that small but significant shares of Americans engage in identity switching regarding ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and class that is predicted by partisanship and ideology in their pasts, bringing their identities into alignment with their politics. These findings enrich and complicate our understanding of the relationship between identity and politics and suggest caution in treating identities as unchanging phenomena.

Suggested Citation

  • Patrick J. Egan, 2020. "Identity as Dependent Variable: How Americans Shift Their Identities to Align with Their Politics," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(3), pages 699-716, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:64:y:2020:i:3:p:699-716
    DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12496
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    1. Posner,Daniel N., 2005. "Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521541794, September.
    2. Christopher McConnell & Yotam Margalit & Neil Malhotra & Matthew Levendusky, 2018. "The Economic Consequences of Partisanship in a Polarized Era," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 62(1), pages 5-18, January.
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    5. David E. Campbell & Geoffrey C. Layman & John C. Green & Nathanael G. Sumaktoyo, 2018. "Putting Politics First: The Impact of Politics on American Religious and Secular Orientations," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 62(3), pages 551-565, July.
    6. Paul A. Djupe & Jacob R. Neiheisel & Anand E. Sokhey, 2018. "Reconsidering the Role of Politics in Leaving Religion: The Importance of Affiliation," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 62(1), pages 161-175, January.
    7. Posner,Daniel N., 2005. "Institutions and Ethnic Politics in Africa," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521833981, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Philipp M. Lersch, 2023. "Change in Personal Culture over the Life Course," American Sociological Review, , vol. 88(2), pages 220-251, April.
    2. Arnaud Wolff, 2022. "The Signaling Value of Social Identity," Working Papers of BETA 2022-15, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    3. Grossmann, Jakub & Jurajda, Štepán & Roesel, Felix, 2021. "Forced Migration, Staying Minorities, and New Societies: Evidence from Post-War Czechoslovakia," IZA Discussion Papers 14191, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Florian Stoeckel & Vittorio Mérola & Jack Thompson & Benjamin Lyons & Jason Reifler, 2024. "Public perceptions and misperceptions of political authority in the European Union," European Union Politics, , vol. 25(1), pages 42-62, March.
    5. Darren E. Sherkat, 2021. "Cognitive Sophistication, Religion, and the Trump Vote," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(1), pages 179-197, January.
    6. Ronja Sczepanski, 2023. "European by action: How voting reshapes nested identities," European Union Politics, , vol. 24(4), pages 751-770, December.
    7. Dominik Schraff & Ronja Sczepanski, 2022. "United or divided in diversity? The heterogeneous effects of ethnic diversity on European and national identities," European Union Politics, , vol. 23(2), pages 236-258, June.

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