The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again

by Robert D. Putnam

More people are likely today than thirty years ago to say that they are “independents,” rejecting both parties, but the evidence suggests that that category is quite heterogeneous, including many self-camouflaged partisans, and that it coexists with a trend toward stronger partisan commitment among partisans. Some self-described “independent” voters actually behave more like partisans in that they are nowadays less likely to switch from election to election. One possible interpretation is that a growing fraction of partisan, follow-the-leader voters are highly polarized and tribal, turning off many other voters, who may be choosing the “independent” title as a way of symbolically separating themselves from tribalization.