Replication Data for: The Policy Blame Game: How Polarization Distorts Democratic Accountability Across the Local, State, and Federal Level

Democratic accountability relies on voters to punish their representatives for the policies they dislike. Yet, a separation-of-powers system can make it hard to know who is to blame, and partisan biases can distort how voters assess responsibility. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, precautionary measures were put into place sometimes by Governors, sometimes by Mayors, and sometimes by no one at all, allowing us to identify circumstances under which voters hold out-party vs. in-party politicians responsible for these policies. With a national survey spanning 48 states, we test our theories that attitudes toward policies and parties intersect to determine when selective attribution takes place. We find that, as individuals become increasingly opposed to a policy, they are more likely to blame whichever level of government is led by the out-party. This tendency is most pronounced among partisans with the strongest in-party biases. Our study demonstrates a troubling obstacle to democratic accountability: the intersection of a separation-of-powers system, which makes accountability cognitively difficult, and a polarized public. Overall, we provide important insight into the mechanisms that drive selective attribution and the conditions under which democratic accountability is at risk.