Voters’ political identities are more fragmented than polarized

Previous research has shown that identity is an important driving force in politics. Social media has made it easier for people to find like-minded individuals and create new communities. At the same time, social media is often cited as a factor contributing to increasing polarization in Europe.

“Against this backdrop, we examined whether people primarily organize themselves into two clearly defined political camps or whether their identities are more multifaceted than that,” says Nora Theorin, one of the researchers behind the study.

May have implications for election campaigns

The researchers examined how people identify with different groups, how these identities relate to political cleavages, and how they are associated with the use of social media and alternative media. The analyses are based on survey data from more than 5,300 respondents in Sweden, Germany, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom collected during 2024.

The findings suggest that the conventional picture of an increasingly polarized Europe needs to be nuanced.

“We identified six different identity groups. While some lean to the left or the right, several do not fit into a simple division between two political blocs. If political identities had primarily been polarized, we would have expected to see two clearly defined camps with distinct values and group affiliations linked to major political cleavages such as left–right or GAL–TAN. But that is not what we found,” says Nora Theorin.

The researchers therefore argue that fragmentation is a more accurate description of people’s political identities than polarization. The findings may also have implications for the upcoming Swedish election campaign.

“Fragmentation among voters makes it more difficult for political parties to address all the issues that people consider important. This may result in some groups feeling unrepresented, which in the long run could reduce interest in and engagement with party politics,” says Nora Theorin.

Media use and political identity reinforce each other

The researchers also found clear links between political identity and media use. These links were particularly strong when it came to the use of alternative media.

“People who identified with issues such as equality and gender equality were more likely to use left-leaning alternative media, whereas people who emphasized national identity and were critical of feminism and political correctness were more likely to use right-leaning alternative media.”

The study also shows that people who actively used social media – for example by posting content, commenting, and participating in discussions – developed a stronger identification with the group they felt most connected to than people who primarily used social media passively.

The relationship also appears to work in both directions: a strong identity leads to more active social media use, which in turn further strengthens that identity.

“Our findings provide a more nuanced picture of how identities are related to media use in contemporary Europe. This has implications for how we understand political engagement, alternative media, and the role of social media in society. The fact that active social media use can strengthen people’s political identities over time makes this an important issue for both media research and social psychology,” says Nora Theorin.