A deep examination of why respect is in short supply in politics today and why it matters.

Respect is in trouble in the United States. Many Americans believe respecting others is a necessary virtue, yet many struggle to respect opposing partisans. Surprisingly, it is liberal citizens, who hold respect as central to their view of democratic equality, who often have difficulty granting respect to others. Drawing on evidence from national surveys, focus groups, survey experiments, and the views of political theorists, Jeff Spinner-Halev and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse explain why this is and why respect is vital to—and yet so lacking in—contemporary US politics.

Respect and Loathing in American Democracy argues that liberals and conservatives are less divided than many believe, but alienate one another because they moralize different issues. Liberals moralize social justice, conservatives champion national solidarity, and this worldview divide keeps them at odds.

Respect is both far-reaching and vital, yet it is much harder to grant than many recognize, partly because of the unseen tension between respect, social justice, and national solidarity. Respect and Loathing in American Democracy proposes a path forward that, while challenging, is far from impossible for citizens to traverse.

Preface

Part I. Respect: The Challenge of Democracy and Equality
1. Democratic Equality and the Importance of Respect
2. Is It Possible to Respect Opposing Partisans?
3. The Failed Aspirations of Civic Respect

Part II. Loathing: Why Is Respect So Hard to Grant?
4. The Social Justice Worldview and Moralization
5. The National Solidarity Worldview and Moralization
6. Collective Responsibility and Judging Others

Part III. Democracy: The Importance of Saving Respect
7. Respect versus Justice?
8. Struggling toward Respect

Acknowledgments
Appendix A. Focus Groups
Appendix B. Surveys
Appendix C. Survey Questions and Scales
Appendix D. Regression Results
Notes
References
Index