The Sources and Dynamics of Mass Partisanship in a New Democracy

Using an original, six-wave panel survey conducted in two cities, we find that 1) mass partisanship in Brazil shares important similarities with mass partisan identification in developed countries, and 2) that for many citizens, such identification is a social identity. Our findings are surprising given the relative newness of Brazil's party system, dovetailing with some aspects of the literature while challenging others. In particular, we find substantial stability in party identification (independence), yet evidence that short-term factors such as political evaluations and shifts in social networks shape these identities