Friends Unlike Me: Affective Political Polarization, Hidden Heterophily, and the Work of Negotiating Boundary Conflict

Research on political social networks has centered on strong ties rather than weaker ones, emphasizing homophily. This research highlights heterophily which is underestimated when using a traditional survey method for measuring social networks. Using 29 semi-structured in-depth interviews with Democrats in the Northern Indiana area, I find that participants placed a range of restrictions on relationships with Republicans and others they disagreed with. As result, they retained the relationships as weaker ties. Choice of restriction varied between familial and non-familial ties but did not predictably vary according to the magnitude of political disagreement in the relationship. Participants’ reflection on their relationships in these interviews showed difficulty in reconciling their identities, group memberships, and existing relationships with those they disagree with politically.