Closest Acceptable Relationship with Outparty Voters
Polarization: affective mass horizontal
Data:
Use Cases: @gidron_validating_2022 @druckman_what_2019 @iyengar_affect_2012 @tichelbaecker_what_2023 @wagner_affective_2023 @jungkunz_populist_2025 @norman_why_2025 @rossiter_crosspartisan_2024 @dejong_crosspartisan_2024 @levendusky_we_2023 @norman_why_2025
Description
Other than most of the other measures in this list, the Social Distance Scale does not compute an affective polarization score from other discrete items, but consists of one survey item that asks respondents of the closest relationship they would find acceptable with outparty voters. This way, it is supposed to measure not just like and dislike scores that are unclear in their implications, but the real societal impact of partisan differences.
One way to measure this consists of items asking respondents about the closest relationship they would find acceptable with outparty voters. Gidron et al. (2022) use a version of this scale with the response options ârelativeâ, âclose friendâ, âneighborâ, âco-workerâ, âcitizen in my countryâ, âvisitor to my countryâ, and ânot at allâ. Another commonly used variation is to make use of items about how the respondent would feel about outparty voters coming socially closer, i.e., by marrying.
Due to the complexity of this survey item, comparative data of this measurement is scarce.
Items
Comfort with Social Interaction or Relationship
Usecases: Druckman and Levendusky (2019) ; Iyengar et al. (2012) ; Jungkunz and Helbling (2025) ; Levendusky and Stecula (2023) ; Rossiter and Taylor (2024) ; Wagner and Praprotnik (2023)
Description Respondents are asked to indicate how comfortable they would feel, or how likely they would be, to engage in various social activities or to form different types of social relationships with specific individuals. These individuals may be presented through profiles that include traits or descriptions associated with the out-party, or respondents may be asked directly about interacting with a member of the outgroup. The item can also be varied by focusing on participation in specific social activities rather than on particular types of social relationships.
Item sample Jungkunz and Helbling (2025)
Scale: 1 no problem at all - 7 big problem
Wording Imagine the following person who is [education] and [nationality/party identity]
Would you have a problem if *a. this person moved into your neighborhood? b. you had to work together with that person? c. this person were part of your circle of friends? d. a person in your close family married this person?
Acceptable Social Relationship Distance
Usecases: Gidron et al. (2022) ; Tichelbaecker et al. (2023)
Description Respondents are asked to indicate the closest type of relationship they would feel comfortable having with a given person. The item can be experimentally varied, for example by presenting profiles that associate the person with different social groups or political parties.
Item Sample Gidron et al. (2022)
Scale Ranking from 1 to 7
- relative
- close friend
- neighbor
- co-worker
- citizen in my country
- visitor to my country
- not at all
Wording ‘Please indicate the closest relationship you would be comfortable having with voters of the following party.’
Preferred Social Relationships
Usecases: Norman and Green (2025)
Description Respondents are presented with a forced-choice item asking which of the listed individuals they would prefer to engage with across different types of social relationships.
Item Sample Norman and Green (2025)
Wording *Which of the following individuals would you prefere as a
- friend
- neighbor
- son/daughter in law …
Use cases
Publications that use this measure:
| Title | Authors |
|---|---|
| Cross-partisan discussions reduced political polarization between UK voters, but less so when they disagreed |
|
| What Do We Measure When We Measure Affective Polarization? |
|
| Validating the feeling thermometer as a measure of partisan affect in multi-party systems |
|
| Affect, Not Ideology |
|
| Populist attitudes, cleavage identification, and polarization in Austria and Germany |
|
| We Need to Talk |
|
| The unifying magic of the unwaved flag |
|
| Why can’t we be friends? |
|
| Cross-Partisan Conversation Reduced Affective Polarization for Republicans and Democrats Even after the Contentious 2020 Election |
|
| What Do We Measure When We Measure Affective Polarization across Countries? |
|
| Affective polarization and coalition signals |
|