Disaffected partisans who want a third party are just as polarized

Abstract

Discontent with the Republican and Democratic parties has sparked widespread concerns about third-party vote splitting. However, few studies have measured the policy preferences of Republicans and Democrats who believe a third party is needed. Our survey addresses this gap in the literature. Across 14 issues, we compare the policy preferences of disaffected partisans who say a third party is needed and the preferences of partisans who do not. We provide evidence against the popular narrative that disaffected partisans converge towards a centrist or moderate third party. Our results show that disaffected partisans are just as polarized. Additionally, we confirm research showing most Americans — Republicans and Democrats alike — now say both parties are inadequate, and a third party is needed. This willingness to signal dissatisfaction with one’s own party may suggest that partisanship functions not as an expressive social identity, but as an instrumental reflection of personal ideological preferences.