Vote with Thy Neighbor
America is famous for its so-called red states and blue states—territories in which most residents reliably vote Republican or Democrat, respectively.
America is famous for its so-called red states and blue states—territories in which most residents reliably vote Republican or Democrat, respectively. But does the political partisanship go deeper than that?
“When people live in more Democratic or Republican places, they become more likely to register the way their neighbors are registering,” says Jacob Brown, an assistant professor of political science. “And then you also see there’s an activating effect: if you’re a steadfast Democrat, and you live around more Democrats, you might participate a little bit more in politics than you would otherwise.”
In today’s highly polarized political environment, Brown’s research has piqued lots of interest—most recently, it’s earned him recognition among this year’s Andrew Carnegie Fellows, a prestigious award that supports scholarship and research in the social sciences and humanities that addresses important and enduring issues confronting our society. Fellows receive a stipend of $200,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, allowing them to devote significant time to research and writing.
In his current project, Brown is curious: Does political homogeneity perpetuate itself, with voters becoming more similar politically to the people they live around? Does living in politically homogeneous communities make voters more polarized in how they view politics?
When cities and suburbs are more polarized, it’s harder to get the regional cooperation required to invest in different public goods.
To find answers, Brown is starting at the beginning: childhood. He and other research collaborators are analyzing longitudinal data to determine if where someone grew up—and the prevailing politics of that area—affect their political viewpoint as an adult. The next research frontier for Brown is to investigate if this partisan entrenchment creates greater hostility toward the other side. Does someone who grew up in a deep red neighborhood feel more animosity toward Democrats than someone who came from a purple community?
Brown’s work—understanding the roots of political partisan segregation and its consequences—is essential. “There’s a good amount of research in political science that many different areas of politics become more imbalanced when we have a geographically segregated electorate,” he says. “It makes it harder to draw districts in a way that ensures fair representation. It reduces electoral competition and can contribute to polarization in Congress. When cities and suburbs are more polarized, it’s harder to get the regional cooperation required to invest in different public goods, like transit or other kinds of infrastructure.”
Amid all the negative outcomes, Brown sees a ray of hope: “As much conflict as you see in politics now, I’m generally much more interested in the potential for cross-partisan exposure. There seem to be benefits from more mixed places and more shared geographic interests, and that’s something I see as positive, for sure.”