Thinking Nationally is Thinking Abstractly: A Cognitive Effect of the Nationalization of Politics in the United States

Contemporary American politics are defined by nationalization (e.g., of public opinion). Prior research reveals that nationalization contributes directly to polarization, and multiple studies identify diminished voter knowledge of subnational politics as a likely mechanism. In this study, I identify a second likely psychological pathway: abstract thinking. The construal theory literature shows that higher levels of construal (i.e., higher abstraction) directly increase ideological rigidity and lower willingness to compromise. Using a survey experiment, I find that respondents randomly assigned to think briefly about national politics construe various subsequent scenarios significantly more abstractly than those assigned to think about subnational politics. Our thinking style shifts in a fundamental way depending on which level of the federal system we are thinking about.