Constrained Citizens? Ideological Structure and Conflict Extension in the US Electorate, 1980–2016

Abstract Past the half-century mark of Converse's (1964) field-defining essay, nature political ideology in mass public and how it has changed response to partisan polarization remains enigmatic. To test ideological structure US opinion, I develop implement a Bayesian dynamic ordinal item theory model. In contrast static scaling procedures, this method allows for changes mappings between issue attitudes underlying dimension over time. The results indicate that last forty years, on range long-standing policy controversies better fit unidimensional structure. As among elites, left–right come encompass wide policy, partisan, value divides public. Further, these trends hold voters at all levels sophistication. Widespread conflict extension appears be defining feature contemporary politics.