Taylor Swift’s latest album “The Life of a Showgirl” cultural whirlwind: chart-topping success, social media saturation and a heated discussion about her artistic evolution.

Nevertheless, despite this warm reception, opinions on Swift are deeply polarized by party. Democrats are far more likely to view her positively. Republicans are more likely to hold negative views. This partisan divide remains even after accounting for age, gender, and other demographic differences.

We are political scientists who study public opinion. In our recently published research,mirror ball politics“We draw on national survey data to find out how Americans feel about Swift and what those feelings reveal about our politics. What we found is surprising. Swift has become a cultural mirror, reflecting our society’s deepest social and political fault lines.”

In other words, liking or hating Swift has become another way for Americans to express who they are politically. The young woman loves her, the young man does not, and that gap is important.

This is part of a broader trend of cultural preferences and political identities collapsing into each other. type of beer you drink, the type of car you drive, store to shop And now the musical artists you admire have become markers of political affiliation and difference.

Popular entertainment was once a common space where Americans could gather and have fun, regardless of whether they were Republicans or Democrats. These shared spaces are shrinking, and with them, the opportunities to connect across partisan divides.

swifty gap

That’s why sentiment against Swift signals a warning sign for the future of American politics.

One of the most striking gulfs we’ve found is between young men and young women. Gen Z women born between 1997 and 2012 look up to Swift. Gen Z men, not so much. On a 100-point scale measuring attitudes toward Swift, young women averaged a 55 and young men averaged a 43, a statistically significant difference that did not exist among older Americans.

This gender gap reflects a growing political divide among young Americans, who will play a pivotal role in the 2024 presidential election. Since 1980, moderate gender inequality has consistently been a defining feature of American electoral politics; There is a huge gap between young Americans.

Young women are significantly more progressive in politics. In contrast, young men tends to the right.

many young men express skepticism about feminismdiscomfort with changing gender norms, and increased attraction to more conservative cultural messages.

haters gonna hate

This large gender gap is also reflected in opinions about Swift.

Other than partisanship, the strongest predictor of negative views of the singer is “hostile sexism” This is defined as a negative attitude towards women and a feeling that men should be in control.

Our research shows that people who believe that women’s accomplishments come at the expense of men or that women have too much power are far more likely to dislike Swift. This effect is particularly strong among men, especially Republican men.

Swift’s enormous success, artistic autonomy, and cultural influence seem to be raising concerns about women’s power in public life. The backlash isn’t about her lyrics or image. It’s about what she represents: a confident, independent woman at the heart of American culture.

This dynamic reveals the broader challenges faced by women in positions of authority, including in politics. Hostile sexism continues to affect American society and poses significant barriers for all people. A woman aspiring to become president.

Swift as visible symbols

Swift did not create these divisions. She simply reflects them. But the intensity of the reaction to her success reveals just how conflicted America is about women’s power.

Our research also shows that those who scored high on hostile sexism were much more likely to have negative views of Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. This reflects previous research showing that hostile sexism is one of the top reasons why people vote. didn’t support Hillary Clinton In 2016.

The conflict is not abstract. It shapes who we elect and whether women can assume leadership roles without causing a backlash. The United States is celebrating its 250th anniversary as a democratic nation, but it has yet to elect a woman as president. Women remain vastly underrepresented Holds a high level political position.

Democracy depends on some degree of shared reality and common ground. Even pop stars have less and less common ground when it comes to partisan litmus tests.