New Study Reveals How Taylor Swift Reflects America's Deepest Political and Gender Divides
A newly published article in “Social Science Quarterly” reveals how attitudes toward global pop icon Taylor Swift have become a lens through which to view the political and social divisions shaping the United States.
In “Mirrorball Politics: How Taylor Swift Reflects America’s Partisan and Gender Divides,” political scientists Laurel Elder at Hartwick College, Steven Greene at North Carolina State University, Jeff Gulati at Bentley University, and Mary-Kate Lizotte at Augusta University, analyze national survey data to examine how partisanship, age, gender and gender attitudes shape public perceptions of Swift.
The research offers three striking findings:
1. Swift has become politically polarized. Views of Taylor Swift are sharply divided along party lines. Liking or disliking Swift has become another way Americans signal their political identity. This is part of a broader trend in which cultural preferences and political identity have collapsed into each other. Popular entertainment used to be a common space where Americans could come together and have some fun. Those shared spaces are shrinking and with it the opportunity for connection across partisan divides.
2. Gen Z shows a powerful gender divide. One of the starkest gaps in opinions of Swift occurs between Gen Z women and Gen Z men. This divide mirrors the broader gender gap among young voters, a dynamic that proved critical in the 2024 presidential election.
3. Hostile sexism is a major predictor of negative attitudes toward Swift. Beyond partisanship, the strongest determinant of perceptions of Swift is hostile sexism—the belief that advances by women pose a threat. This attitude is concentrated primarily among men, especially Republican men. This result speaks to the challenges women continue to face in American society as they seek and take on leadership positions and will be a force to be reckoned with for any woman who seeks to break the highest glass ceiling and become the president.
The authors conclude that, like “Mirrorball,” the title of one of her songs, Swift has become a reflection of our society’s deepest social and political fault lines and offers warning signs for the future of American politics.
The full article is available online through Social Science Quarterly: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.70108
Authors:
Laurel Elder, Hartwick College
Steven Greene, North Carolina State University
Jeff Gulati, Bentley University
Mary-Kate Lizotte, Augusta University
Publication: “Mirrorball Politics: How Taylor Swift Reflects America’s Partisan and Gender Divides.” Social Science Quarterly, Vol. 106, Issue 7 (2025) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.70108
