Political Choice in a Polarized America - How Elite Polarization Shapes Mass Behavior

What motivates citizens to support one party over the other? Tackling decades of mixed findings about the prevalence (or lack) of policy voting, Joshua N. Zingher argues that the average American is much more likely to vote for the party that best represents their views than they were in the past. However, as Zingher demonstrates, voters'' ability to match their attitudes to a party or candidate varies according to signals sent by elites and increases as parties become more polarized. As a result, American voters have adapted to a more polarized environment by becoming more polarized themselves.