Role of Political Identity in Friendship Networks

How do political views evolve within social networks? Do individuals pick their friends based on their own political ideology? What is the role of political moderates within friendship networks? This paper presents a... [ view full abstract ]

How do political views evolve within social networks? Do individuals pick their friends based on their own political ideology? What is the role of political moderates within friendship networks? This paper presents a foundation for answering these questions using network analysis and theory. While this study has been done on a limited graduate student body at a Midwest Tier-I research university in the United States, the same process could be repeated on a larger audience to gather insights and evaluate the outcomes of the populace at large. Further it presents an equation to evaluate the strength of friendships based on how often individuals meet up to do different types of activities. Lastly, it lays a road map for future research in this area to understand the larger societal forces that are in play along political ideologies.