2020/09/10 by Amber Hye-Yon Lee, Amber Hye‐Yon Lee · 3 citations
Social Sciences · #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Social Media and Politics #Social and Intergroup Psychology
paper · doi:10.1080/10584609.2020.1799124
openalex publication_date 2020/09/10 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Amber Hye-Yon Lee*Annenberg School for Communication and Department of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USAAmber Hye-Yon Lee is a joint PhD candidate in Political Science and Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.CONTACT Amber Hye-Yon Lee [email protected] Annenberg School for Communication and Department of Political Science, USA, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PAABSTRACTPeople use social cues to decide whether they want to interact with others. As everyday life has become more politicized, we now attach political meaning to seemingly apolitical activities, from the food we eat, to the movies and TV shows we watch, to the car we drive. Do these stereotypes affect social behavior? Using two survey experiments, including one with a nationally representative sample, I show that people use apolitical cues to draw inferences about others’ political leanings. More importantly, these inferences impact decisions about which individuals they want to interact with, which lead to reduced cross-party contact as well as cross-cutting political discussion. The findings have important implications for how partisan stereotypes of everyday attributes might indirectly exacerbate political polarization.