No matter how you look at it, the 2016 general election campaign was an ugly one, with rhetorical battles from both sides.
But it was a conversation rear The election sparked new research questions for political scientist Elizabeth Theis Morse of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and colleague Jeff Spinner Haleff of the University of North Carolina.
A common refrain that gave researchers pause was, “I have no respect for anyone who voted for…” Did Americans really not respect nearly 50% of their voters? What does that mean for democracy?
Through four years of qualitative and quantitative research, Tice Morse and Spiner Halef set out to explore the role of respect, or lack thereof, in American politics. In their final book, Respect and Dislike in American Democracy: Polarization, Moralization, and the Undermining of Equality, the coauthors argue that while Americans hold respect as a necessary virtue, It explains the struggle to extend to people on the other side. aisle.
The book will be published by the University of Chicago Press on March 29, and Tice Morse will speak about the book on April 25 at 5 p.m. in Nebraska Union’s Swanson Auditorium.
Tice Morse, Willa Cather Professor of Political Science, said “Respect and Dislike” breaks new ground in the field of political science, combining the lenses of political psychology and political theory.
“When Jeff called me after the 2016 election to talk about political psychologists’ research on respect, I said, ‘They don’t see it,’ and we both I fell silent,” she said. “And I said, ‘Okay, I’m writing a book.’ Political psychologists have studied tolerance. They’ve learned about civility, but they haven’t learned about respect. I think that’s a very important concept in a democratic political system.”
The researchers conducted 27 focus groups with liberal and conservative voters and conducted national surveys in 2018, 2019, and 2020, then in 2021 when the presidential administration transitioned from Republicans to Democrats. Additional surveys conducted subsection questions.
“The most important thing to take away from this book is that it is very difficult to respect the opposing partisans,” said Tice Morse. “People are really struggling with this because they know they should respect their fellow Americans, but they can’t.
“The second thing I learned is that respect is essential to democracy. It turns out that it is very difficult, but nevertheless very important for a democratic political system to function. .”
In one survey experiment, researchers asked some respondents to read statements they disagreed with, but the majority did not.
“When you’re talking about issues that you strongly disagree with, respect for the public just evaporates,” Tice Morse said. “Less than a quarter of people have talked to someone or read something about the other person’s position.”
The study also revealed where core ideological differences lie and how those differences impact the ability to spread respect. Liberals and conservatives moralize different issues. Liberals moralize social justice, while conservatives champion national unity. But Theis Morse said the danger to democracy was the stereotypes and exaggerations we held about the opposition, as revealed in focus group research.
“There’s an assumption that all opposition partisans are at the end of the political spectrum, but that’s not really the case,” she says.
The co-authors argue that respect for citizens is central to a functioning democracy.
“The more diverse ideas we have, the better it is for us as a democratic society,” Tice-Morss said. “With a variety of ideas, you can see what’s bad and what doesn’t work, and you can also see what’s good and what works.
“The only way to do that is if we think outside the box.The only way to do that is to respect others and listen to their opinions. think.”
