I'm seeing that at the NYT. I didn't need to use the little device they had set up. I know I live in a deep blue cocoon.
So let's read some text:
“People aren’t choosing to live near neighbors who share their party affiliation” said Alan Abramowitz, a professor of political science at Emory University. “They’re segregating based on lifestyle choices.”
The alignment of lifestyle and politics reflects the sorting of Democrats and Republicans by income and education, in addition to race. While members of both parties want to live in neighborhoods with good schools and low crime, they disagree about the importance of certain religious and cultural amenities. Democrats, surveys have shown, are more likely than Republicans to prioritize walkable neighborhoods with good public transit. Republicans, on the other hand, prize neighborhoods with more Christians and larger houses.
Is this even a problem?! There is diversity in living situations, and people have different preferences and have a wide range of choice as we satisfy ourselves. As for politics, we influence each other but we also have political preferences that have something to do with our lifestyle preferences.
Is the problem that we're too polarized politically? I'd blame politicians and the media before I'd blame the citizens who are choosing whether we want to live in big houses or walkable neighborhoods.
By the way, I live in a big house in a walkable neighborhood.
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