Division in America: Using Moral Attribute and Social Information Processing Theories to Examine the Nomological Network of Political Identity

Abstract

Americans today are as polarized as ever. Consequently, many are reluctant to engage in conversations about political topics, fearing disagreement or confrontation. Morey et al. (2012) characterized disagreement avoidance as a strong motivator. However, not knowing another's political identity or orientation makes it difficult to broach topics or predict how individuals may feel about subjects that affect their lives. This uncertainty can impede communication, making it challenging for leaders who want to frame their messaging accordingly and dampen polarization. Probing an individual’s feelings about issues that are antecedent but related to political identity could inform a conversation, providing a subtle workaround. This research hypothesized antecedent attributes of political identity to be suitable predictors for various outcomes. Identifying another’s moral attributes could inform where that individual lies on the political identity spectrum; certain attributes align with liberal or conservative political identity. Having a feel for another’s political identity can help frame messaging that enhances communication and dampens polarization. To this end, a research model was constructed to study the relationship between moral attributes as predictors of two contemporary outcomes—confidence in the government and perceptions of media corruption. Adding mediating and moderating variables and evaluating several demographic covariates enhanced the research by approximating actual contextual conditions. Moral attributes successfully predicted political identity and some outcomes while failing to predict others. Fairness appears to be a stronger predictor of conservatism, contrary to expectations. Political identity was a significant predictor of the outcomes and demonstrated utility as a mediating variable.