Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Inspiration and Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction: Changing Parties in a Changing World
- 2 How Educated Liberals Are Winning the Culture War
- 3 “Hope and Change” Meets “Make America Great Again”
- 4 The Rise of the Diploma Divide in American Elections
- 5 Trust the Institutions, or Burn Them Down?
- 6 Fighting “Woke Capitalism”: The Republican Rebellion against Corporate America
- 7 Are Policymakers Solving Problems or Imposing Values?
- 8 Conclusion: Why Everything Is about Politics Now, and Politics Is about Everything
- List of Figures
- Notes
- Index
4 - The Rise of the Diploma Divide in American Elections
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 September 2024
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Inspiration and Acknowledgments
- 1 Introduction: Changing Parties in a Changing World
- 2 How Educated Liberals Are Winning the Culture War
- 3 “Hope and Change” Meets “Make America Great Again”
- 4 The Rise of the Diploma Divide in American Elections
- 5 Trust the Institutions, or Burn Them Down?
- 6 Fighting “Woke Capitalism”: The Republican Rebellion against Corporate America
- 7 Are Policymakers Solving Problems or Imposing Values?
- 8 Conclusion: Why Everything Is about Politics Now, and Politics Is about Everything
- List of Figures
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Republicans are increasingly hostile toward educational institutions, professors, and students in national and state politics, with conservative media portraying college campuses as hotspots of radical leftism while Republican politicians rhetorically and financially target universities. Intellectual opinion journalism has become more influential among liberals over time, exemplified by new online ventures and permeability between media and academia, while traditional venues for conservative intellectual discourse have lost influence to more populist and conspiratorial platforms. As a consequence of these developments, Republican voters no longer trust mainstream media and research to deliver nonpartisan information, preferring to accept and promote the claims of overtly ideological alternative sources. Republicans no longer trust scientists or universities either, with each taking on a more proactive political role. Slow liberal cultural advance is also apparent in nonprofits and advocacy organizations, increasingly aligning more institutions with Democrats. The information environments on each side thus reinforce their diverging electoral and governing trends.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Polarized by DegreesHow the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics, pp. 121 - 161Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024