Hopefully the original book has more detail, with data to back it up, and Raunch was just recasting it into news bulletin "Red State, Blue State" simplifications to help his audience understand.

I think that in part, the polarisation of American politics is fuelled by the media. "Us vs Them" is easy to understand and gets people's emotions going, so the idea of having a nuanced viewpoint (such as being a fiscal conservative and a social liberal, which isn't even all that nuanced at all) is lost on the masses. The media didn't start it, of course – the two-party system wasn't their idea – but where there was a gap they have driven a wedge into it and made it wider.

Raunch's summary of Cahn and Carbone reflects that attitude, so I really hope their insights aren't compromised by an inability to see beyond media stereotypes. I suspect we're reading a slightly dumbed-down version, which is fine for a short journal article, but how smart was the original work?

On the positive side, reading this has helped me understand some of the cultural differences between me and my wife. I have a Blue idea of what family is supposed to be like, while it seems to me that she comes from a Red background (in the terminology of the article – this isn't to say she'd vote Republican in the USA!). I'll have to point this out to her and see what she thinks. Thanks very much for posting it.