The Economic Roots of Political Polarization in the United States: How Ideological Differences are Driven by Economic Compositions examines how economic composition, circumstances, and the opportunities created in a particular economy drive an individual's particular worldview. Using data from the Current Population Survey, the national economy is divided into four regional economies, where changes over time can be seen, it then becomes clear how views on a wide array of issues differ from one region to another. A policy that seems reasonable in one region given the demographics of its economy makes absolutely no sense in another. Economic policy has long been about economic growth that serves the interests of the elites, and often at the expense of ordinary workers. Elites on Wall Street that gave us hyper-capitalism have long been able to lobby for public policy that serves their economic interests. The result has been the loss of good paying middle class jobs and rising inequality.

Oren M. Levin-Waldman is a labor economist who specializes in labor market profiling and demographic analysis. A Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable, he has been on the faculty at The New School, Marist, Bard, and Rutgers University-Newark.