Perceptions of polarization among political representatives

ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to study why politicians in the same elected assembly perceive political polarization differently, as well as whether and how this influences perceptions of their behaviour. The findings reveals that there is a relationship between local politicians’ perceptions of polarization and winner-loser partisanship and trust. The results show that politicians who have higher levels of trust perceive a lower level of antagonistic behaviour. Being a political winner (in a ruling party coalition) or loser (in opposition) fosters a specific form of partisanship, which affects politicians’ perceptions. Politicians who are winners tend to perceive lower levels of polarization and antagonistic behaviour. More insight into how and why political actors perceive the same situation differently could potentially foster a greater understanding – a political empathy – among political combatants, facilitating interaction. The study is based on data from a survey conducted among all councillors in the 290 municipalities in Sweden.