The latest research has revealed the severely negative effects of the extreme political polarization among people, on their routines. Researchers hint at how it can make Americans poorer – financially.
Americans seem to have a deep impression of politics in their lives and multiple aspects of it. While the people are seeing flooding the internet with tons of political opinions every single day, it doesn’t end there. Politics is seemingly invading the day-to-day lives of Americans. A new study has found that political polarization is having a visible effect on the choices of Americans – regarding jobs, friends, and even product brands.
Published in the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, the study also found that the political divide was worsening their lives. “Political polarization is having far-reaching impacts on American life, harming consumer welfare and creating challenges for people,” as stated in the study.
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The study has established that the political spite is also affecting the economic and mental well-being of Americans. People are restricting their choices of employment based on such notions. They are also becoming increasingly isolated as they are choosing to drift apart from their friends on the difference of partisan views. The study says that this will end up making Americans poorer and unhealthier.
The companies have also come under immense pressure to proclaim social issues owing to a rising demand from the public that their products must be reflective of their political ideology.
Dean Dave Sprott from the University of Washington College of Business, and amongst the authors of this study, stated that although we are aware of the impact of polarization on politics and governance, the passive effect that it lays on our lives is going unnoticed. “Ultimately, polarization harms mental and physical health, financial welfare, relationships, and societal interests through its impact on psychology, marketing, and public policy outcomes,” he added.
The irresistible urge and obsession with politics has taken a heavy toll on the rationality of people, and even affected decision-making capacities of Americans, especially in terms of the economy. “With political positions influencing decisions, people may sacrifice wages, lose out on jobs, make suboptimal purchases, and disregard opportunities to save,” the researchers explain. The researchers also mention finding that the employees were ready to work with people who held similar political views, even at low wages.
Apparently, companies like Goya, MyPillow, Chick-fil-A were banned by the liberal consumers, when these companies were found promoting ‘conservative causes‘. The researchers state, “In effect, activist consumers will increasingly expect brands to help spur social change, and will be more likely to respond to brand actions through a political lens.”
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Experts have also analyzed that the initiatives that were previously viewed without holding any preconceived political notions, will also begin to be viewed from a “political lens” as a result of the extreme nature that the political divide among people is lately developing. Actions such as (not) wearing a mask are also impacted by the political views of people.
“Future research should consider the possibility that while political polarization can be harmful, there may be silver linings and reasons for hope,” the researchers stated. They also suggested that restricting the spread of misinformation and the length of political campaigns can act as potential solutions in blurring the effect of political polarization.