Federalism, Polarization, and Policy Responsibility during COVID-19: Experimental and Observational Evidence from the United States

Abstract This article considers the ways in which partisanship structured public attitudes about United States’ multiple governments as each tried to mitigate spread of COVID-19 during spring and summer 2020. The evidence shows that Democrats Republicans both made distinctions among their local, state, federal governments, assigning them different functional responsibilities. Yet, members two parties did not agree on division intergovernmental responsibility. Rather, across a variety issues, polarized partisan identities beliefs operation efficacy American system’s ability contend with coronavirus. Moreover, these stem from prior ideological commitments or composition Democratic Republican communities. Instead, party leaders proved especially capable shifting questions versus state authority through rhetoric strategic framing.