A Survey of Separatist Attitudes in the Pacific Northwest –

“My Own Private Idaho”: A Survey of Separatist Attitudes in the Pacific Northwest

By Semir Dzebo, Central European University, Erin K. Jenne, Central European University, and Levente Littvay, HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences & CEU Democracy Institute

In the past five years, 13 counties in Eastern Oregon have voted in nonbinding referendums to separate from the liberal state of Oregon to join the conservative state of Idaho. Drawing on theories of secessionism and irredentism, this article examines the drivers of the so-called Greater Idaho movement by administering a survey in these separatist counties. Our findings indicate that economic discontent and a strong regional identity are more important than fears or partisanship in determining support for moving the interstate border. Our study suggests that more inclusive governance may help to overcome ideological polarization in this case and offers insights into how political divisions may be managed to prevent separatist violence in the United States more generally. We conclude that political minorities need to believe that they have a voice in the system so that they do not mobilize for exit.