Why exclude others from democracy? Obstinate partisanship, conspiracy mentality, and political intolerance

Wide-ranging and heterogeneous participation within political processes has been theorized as the foundational spirit of healthy democracies. Individual lack of support for large and diverse public participation remains at the core of that premise. This study extends existing research on the antecedents of political intolerance toward ‘others.’ To do so, this study introduces three understudied concepts in this context: Obstinate partisanship, conspiracy mentality, and political intolerance. Drawing on partisan motivated reasoning and group identity theories, this study hypothesizes that these three concepts are interrelated. Using a two-wave diverse online panel survey data in the United States, this study shows that obstinate partisanship and conspiracy mentality significantly predict political intolerance. Those who develop unreasonable, unconditional party loyalty and those who are more likely to hold conspiratorial mentalities will embrace repressive political attitudes toward outgroups when they participate in politics. Furthermore, a mediation model test suggests that conspiracy mentality significantly mediates the influence of obstinate partisanship over political intolerance. The study provides relevant theoretical implications about political intolerance in democracy and adds to the understanding of its antecedents. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed in the manuscript.