Date of Award
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelors
Department
Social Sciences
First Advisor
Reilly, Jack
Area of Concentration
Political Science
Abstract
In the United States, an increasing polarized context between the Democrat and Republican parties leads to questions of extremity. What does it mean to be politically extreme, within and outside of the political structure? Scholars have blended terms such as radicalism and extremism with concepts of belief and behavior in order to answer this question. This study treats extremity of belief and behavior as separate axes and analyzes the role of power attributed to privileged identities within the context of the U.S. political structure. Regression analyses suggest privilege discourages polarization. No relationship could be established between privilege and ideological extremity. This study finds that privilege encourages political participation, even when controlling for resource explanations such as education and income. Furthermore, the analyses support literature which concludes saliency of identity impacts participation.
Recommended Citation
Ramirez, Angela Frances, "WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE EXTREME? A POWER-BASED IDENTITY ANALYSIS OF PARTY POLARIZATION, IDEOLOGICAL EXTREMITY, AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION" (2019). Theses & ETDs. 5782.
https://digitalcommons.ncf.edu/theses_etds/5782