The Other Divide

Yanna Krupnikov is Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University. She is the co-author (with Samara Klar) of Independent Politics: How American Disdain for Parties Leads to Political Inaction, which has won three APSA section awards. Her research has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and the Hidden Brain podcast. John Barry Ryan is Associate Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University. He is the co-author (with T.K. Ahn and Robert Huckfeldt) of Experts, Activists, and Democratic Politics: Are Electorates Self-Educating? His research has appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN and the Hidden Brain podcast.

• 1. A House Divided Against Itself?; 2. Subtleties of Partisan Division; 3. Beyond Political Interest; 4. The Deeply Involved Are Different; 5. Bubbles of Involvement; 6. Perceptions of the Most Sacred Duty (co-authored with Michael Yontz); 7. A New Form of Self-Expression; 8. The Voice of which People?; 9. Middle Grove.

'Scholars, pundits, and citizens spend an enormous amount of time trying to figure out why the political sides are so divided in contemporary American politics. In this provocative, path-breaking book, Krupnikov and Ryan offer a fundamental reorientation of what we know about polarization. They persuasively argue that the real divide in American politics is between the involved and the uninvolved. Moreover, the small number of involved citizens fundamentally differ from most Americans. This is true regarding their demographics, beliefs, levels of political polarization, parenting, how they express themselves, and how journalists cover them. These differences bisect the parties themselves. The book makes clear that involvement too is not a panacea for democracy, which requires all kinds of citizens and not just involved ones. This book sets the agenda for the next generation of work in American politics: do not dismiss or chastise the less engaged; instead, understand and value them.' James N. Druckman, Northwestern University