[PDI Working Paper No.16] Effects of Political Party and Political Ideology on Emotional Polarization: An Experimental Survey

Gu Seon Kwon (Master of Comparative Political Science in Korea University)

Abstract: As interest and concern about emotional polarization among Korean voters increases, domestic research on emotional polarization is also increasing, but not many studies on external factors that cause emotional polarization have yet to be conducted. This study empirically analyzed the influence of political parties and ideological polarization at the level of voters and at the level of political elite through an experimental survey measuring the difference in emotional temperature between two candidates based on the degree of ideological polarization between the two candidates and the provision of information on their political parties. According to the analysis results, for partisan supporters, political parties themselves had the effect of deepening emotional polarization, while ideological polarization at the political elite level had no statistically significant effect on emotional polarization. Rather, partisan supporters experienced different levels of emotional polarization according to their ideological tendencies.