Identity Politics

[Page 374]Identity politics occurs when someone takes political action, supports a political party, votes for a candidate, or supports a policy issue because they identify with a given social group. Identity groups are typically grounded in demographic characteristics such as race or ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, religion, or region. Political identity increases the chance that group members will take specific political actions and adopt shared group beliefs about politics and is thus central to an understanding of political behavior. This entry explains the link between social identities and political attitudes and action, discusses the importance of subjective identities, and examines several key factors that are crucial to the development of identity politics.