Negative partisanship describes political motivation driven mainly by opposition to the other party. A citizen may vote enthusiastically not because of affection for her own nominee but because she fears the alternative. Negative motivation can strengthen turnout and party loyalty even when trust in one's own party is modest. It concerns why a person acts in politics.

Affective polarization concerns social feeling. Partisans may distrust, avoid, or dislike supporters of the opposing party beyond disagreement over policy. Survey questions about friendship, family relationships, social distance, or personal warmth can measure this dimension. Affective polarization can rise alongside ideological polarization, but one does not prove the other. People can dislike opposing partisans while holding mixed policy views.

Match evidence to the correct level. Greater consistency between ideology and label indicates sorting. A vote cast chiefly to defeat the rival indicates negative partisanship. Reluctance to socialize with opposing voters indicates affective polarization. Greater distance between average party policy positions indicates ideological polarization. Survey wording matters: dislike of leaders, dislike of ordinary supporters, and disagreement over policy are not interchangeable measurements. Context and comparison across time are necessary before treating any one response as a trend. These measures may reinforce one another, but combining them into the vague phrase "people are more partisan" destroys the analytical value. Identify whether the evidence describes coalition composition, electoral motivation, interpersonal feeling, or policy distance before selecting a term.

Video lesson: Party Systems: Crash Course Government and Politics #41