Before We Start
Party identification as "the most stable political attitude"
Party identification — a person's psychological attachment to a political party — is considered one of the most stable political attitudes a person holds, often formed early (connecting directly to the Political Socialization lesson) and persisting for decades. This stability makes genuine shifts in party identification, at either the individual or population level, particularly notable when they occur.
💡 The Current Dealignment Figure
Roughly 40% of Americans now identify as independent rather than affiliating with either major party — a substantial and growing share, reflecting the dealignment trend described below.
Mnemonic
Dealignment vs. realignment — two genuinely different patterns
Dealignment
Growing share of voters identify as independent
Rather than shifting FROM one party TO another, dealignment describes voters becoming LESS attached to parties generally — identifying as independent rather than transferring their loyalty elsewhere.
Realignment
Critical elections shift party coalitions
A genuinely different pattern — realignment describes a significant shift in WHICH groups of voters support which party, often triggered by a specific "critical election" or period that reshapes the underlying party coalitions.
💊 The key distinguishing question: is party ATTACHMENT declining generally (dealignment), or is the COMPOSITION of party coalitions shifting (realignment)? These are genuinely different phenomena that can occur independently of each other.
Historical Examples
Three specific realignments worth knowing
1932 — New Deal Coalition
A major Democratic realignment
The Great Depression and the New Deal response reshaped party coalitions significantly, connecting directly to the generational effect covered in the Political Socialization lesson.
1968 — Southern Realignment
The Solid South shifted from Democratic to Republican
A genuinely dramatic regional realignment — the American South, historically a Democratic stronghold, shifted toward the Republican Party over subsequent decades.
1994 — Republican Revolution
A significant shift in Congressional control and coalitions
A more recent example of a realignment moment, marking a significant shift in the composition of Congressional representation.
⚖️ Applying the Distinction — Classifying a Specific Trend
Political scientists observe two separate trends in the same population: an increasing share of voters declining to identify with either major party, and a specific demographic group that has shifted its overall support from one party to the other over several election cycles.
Classify the First Trend
An increasing share of voters declining to identify with either party is a dealignment trend — voters aren't shifting loyalty from one party to the other, they're simply becoming less attached to parties generally. This fits the dealignment pattern precisely, distinct from any shift in which specific party a group supports.
Classify the Second Trend
A specific demographic group shifting its overall support from one party to another is a realignment — this describes exactly the kind of coalition-composition shift that realignment refers to, similar in structure to the historical Southern realignment. Both trends can occur simultaneously in the same population, since they describe genuinely different underlying phenomena.
📌 Exam Application
Party identification questions test both the dealignment/realignment distinction and specific historical examples:
Concept distinction: "What is the key difference between dealignment and realignment?" → Dealignment describes declining attachment to parties generally; realignment describes a shift in which coalitions support which specific party.
Historical example: "What historical shift is associated with 1968?" → The Southern realignment — the Solid South shifting from Democratic to Republican.
Current figure: "Approximately what share of Americans currently identify as independent?" → Roughly 40%.
⚠️ The Trap — Confusing Dealignment With Realignment
Because both terms describe changes in party identification patterns, it's easy to use them interchangeably. But they describe genuinely different phenomena — dealignment is about declining attachment generally, while realignment is about coalitions shifting from one party to another.
The safeguard: Ask whether the observed pattern involves voters becoming LESS attached to parties in general (dealignment) or a specific group SWITCHING which party they support (realignment).
✓ Quick Self-Test
Answer before checking:
1. What is dealignment?
2. What is realignment?
3. Name the three historical realignments covered in this lesson, with their approximate years.
4. Approximately what share of Americans currently identify as independent?
Answers:
1. A growing share of voters identifying as independent rather than attached to either major party.
2. A significant shift in which groups of voters support which party, often triggered by a critical election.
3. 1932 (New Deal coalition), 1968 (Southern realignment), 1994 (Republican Revolution).
4. Roughly 40%.
Next Lesson
The Median Voter Theorem
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