Overview

Polarization, Eh? explores the causes and consequences of the growing affective polarization and inter-partisan hostility in Canada. The cracks within Canadian society are now alarmingly clear, with Conservative party supporters becoming antagonistic towards Liberal and NDP voters and vice versa. This book explores the roots of these divisions while bringing us face-to-face with the consequences of our fragmenting political culture. An expert on public opinion and party politics, Eric Merkley argues that growing partisan hostility has emerged from a widening ideological divide between Conservatives on the right, and Liberal and NDP supporters on the left, which is a product of the polarization of Canada's political parties over time. He provides evidence of this multi-step theory using cross-sectional and longitudinal survey data and multilevel modelling, while also ruling out several alternative explanations like online echo chambers and growing social group divides. The book employs survey data and embedded experiments to show how rising partisan hostility has heightened partisan-based motivations when Canadians navigate the social and political world, leading to biased reasoning, partisan discrimination, COVID-19 polarization, and support for anti-democratic behaviour by politicians. Polarization, Eh? highlights the dire need for institutional and societal reform to turn down the temperature in Canadian politics.

Full Product Details

Author:   Eric Merkley
Publisher:   University of Toronto Press
Imprint:   University of Toronto Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.560kg
ISBN:  

9781487559038

ISBN 10:   1487559038
Pages:   424
Publication Date:   24 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available, will be POD  
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Table of Contents

Tables and Figures Acknowledgments Part I: The State of Canadian Polarization Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Many Faces of Mass Polarization Part II: Causes Chapter 3: Sorting Out the Foundations of Affective Polarization Chapter 4: Follow the Leader Chapter 5: The Polarization in Our Heads  Chapter 6: Don’t Blame the Media (Probably) Part III: Consequences Chapter 7: The Canadian Perceptual Screen  Chapter 8: Can’t We All Just Get Along? Chapter 9: A Pandemic of Polarization? Chapter 10: Democracy under Threat? Chapter 11: Conclusion Appendix A. Data Sources and Study Details  Canadian Election Study, 1993–2019 (Chapters 1–5)  Digital Democracy Project, Wave 9 (Chapters 3, 5, 6, 7, 8) Digital Democracy Project, Media Tracking Study (Chapter 6) Media Ecosystem Observatory (Chapters 6 and 9)  Perceptual Polarization Survey (Chapter 5)  C-Dem Democracy Checkup Module (Chapter 8)  SPV and Norms Survey (Chapters 8, 10) Appendix B. Additional Analyses References     Index

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Author Information

Eric Merkley is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Toronto and is director of the Policy, Elections, and Representation Lab (PEARL).

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