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Abstract
Most political science literature tends to treat Democratic and Republican voters as mirror images of each other. This dissertation examines partisan asymmetries in the emphasis and impact of partisan and ideological identity between and within the two parties. Using nationally representative data, I present evidence that Republicans tend to emphasize ideology rather than partisanship. Using convenience samples, I also present evidence that young Democrats and young Republicans differ from their older counterparts: young Democrats are stronger ideological identifiers than Republicans, and young Republicans are stronger partisan identifiers than Democrats. Additionally, I demonstrate that Democratic voters regardless of age— emphasize ideology as as a summary of issue preferences (instrumental) rather than as a social identity (expressive).