Perceptions of Partisanship in Local American Politics

Objective Local politics often features the patterns of conflict that do not resemble national politics, a fact that, under the right circumstances, could make local politics appealing as a counterpoint to the rancor of national politics. However, we know little about the way local politics are perceived by the mass public. In this article, we ask citizens whether they perceive local politics as less partisan than national politics. Method We draw on a novel survey of individuals in citizens in nine medium‐sized and large American metropolitan areas, considering both individual‐level traits and contextual features of the city's politics. Results We find that a substantial number of individuals perceive local politics differently, although we clarify in a second study how these patterns are somewhat sensitive to question wording. We also find two explanations for differences in perceptions across individuals: the strength of an individual's municipal identity and the congruence between an individual's partisanship and the city's politics. Conclusion We find that place identities and social contexts influence perceptions of partisanship; what people see when they view local politics can vary dramatically across people and places.