Analyses & Alternatives (분석과 대안)

Korea Consensus Institute(KCI) (사단법인 코리아컨센서스연구원)
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Affective Polarization, Policy versus Party: The 2020 US Presidential Election

정서적 양극화, 정책인가 아니면 정당인가: 2020 미대선 사례

  • Received : 2022.06.09
  • Accepted : 2022.07.11
  • Published : 2022.07.31
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Abstract

This study aims to account for electoral choice in the 2020 presidential election by focusing on social identity which forms the basis for core partisan groups. Two views compete to explain the origins of polarization, policy versus party. One emphasizes policy as more influential in choosing presidential candidates. This follows the tradition of retrospective voting theory in which voters' choice rely on government performance. Incumbent president whose performance proves well are rewarded to be reelected. Policy performance is based on measures around distinctive preferences for government spending. Republican Individuals prefer individual responsibility to government support, while Democratic counterparts support government support. Another perspective put an emphasis on the role partisanship which favors in-party members and disfavors partisan out-groups. Interparty animosity plays the key role in determining electoral behavior. This study relies on the Views of the Electorate Research (VOTER) Survey which provides a panel data of several waves from 2011 to 2020. A comparative evaluation of two views highlights three findings. First, policy matters. Policy preferences of voters are the primary drives of political behavior. Electoral outcomes in 2020 turned out to be the results of policy considerations of voters. 53.7 percent of voters tilted toward individual responsibility voted for Trump, whereas 70.4 percent of those favorable views of government support than individual responsibility voted for Biden. Thus effects of policy correspond to a positive difference of 26.4 percent points. Second, partisanship effects are of similar extent in influencing electoral choice of candidates: Democrats are less likely to vote for Trump by 42.4 percent points, while Republicans are less likely to vote for Biden by 48.7 percent points. Third, animosity of Republicans toward Democrat core groups creates 26.5 percent points of favoring Trump over Biden. Democrat animosity toward Republican core groups creates a positive difference of 13.7 percent points of favoring Biden.

이 글의 목적은 정치적 양극화에 기여한 요인을 분석하는 것이다. 최근 정치학은 정서적 양극화 즉 정당과 지지자 간의 대립적 현상을 놓고 논쟁 중이다. 이 논쟁은 정서적 양극화의 기원에 대해 전혀 다른 관점에서 접근하는데 정당일체감 대 회고적 투표의 오랜 논쟁과 맞닿아 있다. 정서적 양극화의 원인에 대해 두 가지 입장이 경쟁한다. 첫째는 정당일체감의 전통을 이어 내집단과 외집단에 대한 개인의 편향적 태도가 정서적 양극화의 원인이라고 주장한다. 전통적 관점은 집단적 사고의 근거 자체에 대해서는 불가지론적 입장이었으나 사회심리학이 제시한 집단적 편향을 수용하여 이를 정서적 양극화의 기반으로 삼는다. 둘째는 정서적 양극화는 이념적 차이에 기초하며 이념과 정책선호의 차이가 정당 간 편향성으로 발전한다고 간주한다. 이념적 양극화는 양극화가 집단 간의 상징적 차이가 아니라 회고적 투표이론과 마찬가지로 도구적 차이에 기인한다고 주장한다. 정서적 양극화는 정치참여, 투표 등에 중대한 영향을 준다. 이 글은 이념과 정책선호 또는 정당일체감을 위시한 집단적 편향 등이 정치적 선택에 미치는 효과를 검토함으로써 양 주장을 비교할 것이다. 이 글은 세 가지 결과를 제시한다. 첫째, 후보선택에 가장 큰 영향을 미치는 요인은 정책선호이다. 정책선호 면에서 개인 책임을 선호하는 개인과 정부지원을 지지하는 개인이 각각 트럼프와 바이든 후보를 선택할 가능성은 53.7%와 70.4%로 26.4% 포인트 차이가 있다. 둘째, 정당일체감 효과는 팽팽하다. 공화당 지지자에 비해 민주당 지지자가 트럼프를 선택할 가능성은 42.4% 포인트 낮다. 반대로 공화당 지지자가 바이든을 선택할 확률은 민주당 지지자에 비해 48.7% 포인트 낮다. 셋째, 정서적 양극화를 의미하는 반대정당지지층에 대한 적대감 효과를 보면 민주당지지층에 대한 적대감이 트럼프 지지에 미치는 효과는 26.5% 포인트이다. 한편 공화당지지층에 대한 적대감이 바이든 지지에 미치는 효과는 13.7% 포인트이다. 이처럼 트럼프 지지에는 민주당지지층에 대한 적대감이 더 큰 영향을 행사한다. 그 외 주관적 이념도 후보선택에 중요한 영향을 보인다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

이 논문은 2020년 대한민국 교육부의 한국연구재단의 지원을 받아 수행된 연구임 (NRF-2020S1A3A2A02092791).

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