Chemistry
Political Polarization and Its Effects on Democratic Institutional Trust
Quick fact
In the United States, trust in the Supreme Court has become starkly partisan: a 2023 Gallup poll found a 49-point gap between Democrats and Republicans in confidence in the Court, compared to a negligible gap in the 1980s.
Why this is interesting
In a 2023 poll, only 16% of Americans said they trust the federal government to do what is right most of the time, down from over 70% in 1964. Why has so much trust evaporated?
Read the full explanation
Understanding Political Polarization and Its Effects on Democratic Institutional Trust
Political polarization refers to the divergence of political attitudes and beliefs away from the political center. There are two key types: ideological polarization, where policy positions become more extreme, and affective polarization, where citizens dislike and distrust those from the opposing party. Both can influence how much citizens trust democratic institutions like courts, legislatures, and elections. Typically, trust in these institutions drops when they are seen as promoting partisan agendas instead of neutral, common-good outcomes. This happens because institutions such as courts rely on legitimacy—the belief that they have the right to make binding decisions—and legitimacy depends on trust. Without trust, many citizens no longer accept institutional decisions as fair or binding, which can erode the foundations of democracy.
A deeper explanation
Polarization functions as a lens that colors how citizens interpret institutional actions. Partisan identity creates a 'perceptual screen': when institutions are perceived as favoring the out-party, evaluations become negative, even if the institution's actions are objectively neutral. Affective polarization amplifies this by turning the political arena into an us-versus-them contest, leading citizens to view institutional processes (e.g., Supreme Court nominations, electoral certification) as power plays rather than principled procedures. This perceptual bias undermines institutional trust because trust is a heuristic—a shortcut that citizens use to accept an institution's competence and intent. When partisans constantly see institutional outputs as illegitimate—through contested elections, controversial court rulings, or unilateral executive actions—they begin to question the neutrality of the whole system. Over time, this corrosive dynamic can lead to a deeper breakdown: citizens become willing to accept violations of democratic norms by their own party, a key early symptom of democratic backsliding.