Effects of Partisan Identity and Partisan Stereotypes on Evaluations

While previous research shows that party cues can affect evaluations outside the expressly political realm, we do not know the causal mechanism for this phenomenon. It could be that partisanship as a social identity affects evaluations, or it could be that partisan stereotypes are responsible for bias in evaluations. By drawing from literature on party identification, social identity, and trait ownership theory, this research examines this causal mechanism. Furthermore, while previous literature has examined how partisan identity and stereotypes bias evaluations, how both of these factors bias evaluations at the same time has not been previously examined. Studying partisan bias is important because these factors have the potential to affect the distribution of resources for ordinary, non-elected individuals on a mass-scale. To carry out this examination, I conducted a survey experiment on college students in the Southeastern United States. While the small sample size in this survey limits the ability to find statistically significant results, I do find some support for my theory. Namely, I find some evidence that partisan identity biases people’s evaluations. I also find some suggestive evidence that stereotypes can, at times, off-set or reinforce the bias from partisan identity on evaluations.Master of Art