POLITICS GETS PERSONAL: EFFECT OF POLITICAL POLARIZATION ON CLOSE FRIENDSHIP BONDS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Political Polarization increasingly threatens the fabric of social cohesion, even infiltrating the sanctity of close friendships. This study delves into this phenomenon within the context of Pakistan's capital city, Islamabad, chosen for its diverse demographic landscape. Employing a quantitative design, the research relies on a interview skatual to collect data from a stratified sample of 399 respondents, differentiated by age, gender, and educational attainment. The study is anchored in the tenets of social identity theory and intergroup threat theory, providing a lense to examine the influence of political identities on the formation and sustainability of close friendships. The core objectives were two-fold: first, to assess the overall impact of political Polarization on close friendships, and second, to dissect the differential effects of affective versus ideological Polarization on these bonds. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS, incorporating the chi-square test of independence and multinomial logistic regression. Findings reveal that political Polarization significantly permeates close friendships in Islamabad, generally weakening these bonds and, in extreme cases, leading to their dissolution. Male respondents were more susceptible to Polarization than females, and educated individuals exhibited stronger polarized attitudes compared to their uneducated counterparts. Age-related trends were inconclusive, though a subtle decrease in Polarization with age was noted. Notably, ideological Polarization was found to have a more potent impact on friendships than affective Polarization. The study thus uncovers the nuanced ways in which political Polarization disrupts interpersonal relationships conditioned by demographic variables.