Referendum Tribes Outlast Parties

A short, high‑salience referendum can create a durable social identity that becomes politically and emotionally stronger than pre‑existing party loyalties. Once people commit publicly (a vote), repeated institutional and media contestation (e.g., years of parliamentary debate) reheats and cements that identity, producing cross‑cutting groups that reshape voting, discourse, and family life. — If single‑issue referendums can produce tribes that outlive parties, democracies should expect altered electoral alignments, new forms of polarization, and challenges to party‑based governance.