Ridgeline (joyplot)

Stack one distribution per group, in order, so a shift in the whole shape reads as movement down the page.

DIME · reliable donors, 1980–2024

The donor centre emptied first

Distribution of reliable individual donors on the common-space CFscore ideology scale, one ridge per federal election cycle. Every ridge has area 1 and all share one height scale.

Count each

Liberal side (below 0)
Conservative side (above 0)
Median donor

Select a ridge to read its values: click or tap it, or focus the chart and use the arrow keys, then Enter.

Each ridge is one election cycle’s reliable individual donors on Bonica’s common-space CFscore, in 0.1-wide bins. Every ridge has area 1 and all share one height scale, so a taller peak means a more concentrated cycle, not more donors. A reliable donor gave to at least eight distinct recipients and has an estimated rather than projected score. Scores are fixed per donor, so the slide left after 2004 is a change in who gives and gets itemised — ActBlue-era small-dollar Democrats — not donors moving; the empty centre holds by either count. The dot on each baseline is the median: exact when each donor counts once; read from the bins when dollars are counted (the same method lands within 0.02 of the exact donor median). Dollars are real 2024 dollars (CPI-U).

Ridge summaries · 23 rows

Ridge summaries
Cycle	Reliable donor-cycles	Median CFscore, donors	Median CFscore, dollars (binned)	Within ±0.25, donors (%)	Within ±0.25, dollars (%)	Below −0.5 (%)	Above +0.5 (%)
1,980	31,138	0.62	0.57	11.8	12.3	20.1	53.2
1,982	25,207	0.62	0.82	12.3	9.6	19.2	53.4
1,984	39,460	0.56	0.8	12	10	21.7	51.5
1,986	45,211	0.57	0.72	13	11.1	19.6	52
1,988	70,902	0.42	0.58	12.7	11.1	24.1	47.8
1,990	111,512	0.32	0.51	11.3	11.5	28.5	45.6
1,992	167,283	0.17	0.22	11	10.3	32.3	42.9
1,994	197,604	0.36	0.25	10.7	10.5	29	46.6
1,996	297,838	0.43	0.28	10.7	9.4	27.5	48.4
1,998	470,028	0.23	0.14	10.1	12.3	32	44.3
2,000	598,971	0.25	0.39	10	9.1	31.9	44.9
2,002	794,413	0.1	0.18	9.6	24.5	35.3	42.5
2,004	1,033,327	-0.17	0.26	7.7	8.4	42.3	39.9
2,006	1,142,451	-0.28	0.42	7.8	7.2	44.1	37.7
2,008	1,425,885	-0.49	-0.15	6.2	7	49.8	35.8
2,010	1,409,984	-0.37	0.55	6.6	7.7	46.9	38
2,012	1,805,776	-0.74	0.22	4.6	4.8	57	32.3
2,014	1,597,010	-0.74	0.42	4.8	6.6	58	30.7
2,016	1,978,112	-0.89	-0.27	3.4	4.6	64.4	27.6
2,018	2,161,252	-0.95	-0.6	2.5	3.5	72.8	21.2

Page 1 of 2

Densities by bin · 1,150 rows

Densities by bin
Cycle	CFscore bin centre	Density, donors	Density, dollars
1,980	-2.45	0	0
1,980	-2.35	0	0
1,980	-2.25	0	0
1,980	-2.15	0	0
1,980	-2.05	0	0
1,980	-1.95	0	0
1,980	-1.85	0	0
1,980	-1.75	0	0
1,980	-1.65	0	0
1,980	-1.55	0	0
1,980	-1.45	0	0
1,980	-1.35	0	0
1,980	-1.25	0	0
1,980	-1.15	0	0
1,980	-1.05	0.04	0.02
1,980	-0.95	0.24	0.16
1,980	-0.85	0.39	0.4
1,980	-0.75	0.45	0.48
1,980	-0.65	0.47	0.5
1,980	-0.55	0.42	0.45

Page 1 of 58

Stanford DIME v4.0 (Bonica) · reliable individual donors, federal cycles 1980–2024

Preview

Open example and source notes

How to read it

Each ridge is one group’s distribution on a shared axis, rising from its own baseline, with later groups in front. Compare where the mass sits and how the shape changes rather than exact heights. A split fill marks the two sides of a meaningful value; the dot on each baseline is a supplied summary such as the median.

When to use it

Distributions over time or across ordered groups: donor ideology by election cycle, a feeling thermometer by survey wave, county vote margins by election.

Watch out for

Avoid unordered categories (use small multiples) and groups too small to have a shape. Per-ridge peak scaling hides size differences, so it is never the default. Do not smooth coarse bands into a curve.

Data shape & units

rows: { group, x, value }[] plus an ordered groups list; value is a density, share or count per bin. normalize is none (one height scale, the default), sum (counts to shares) or max. Optional markers { group, value, label?, display?, lo?, hi? } and per-group counts and facts for the tooltip and status line.

Missing values

A null value is a gap in the ridge, never a zero, and a threshold seam does not close across it. A group with no rows keeps its slot and reads as having no data. Marker intervals appear only when both bounds are supplied.

Controls & accessibility

Hover or keyboard focus outlines a ridge and names its group, n and marker. Click, tap or Enter selects it: the others recede, it comes to the front and the status line reads its values. Arrow keys on the chart and the step buttons move ridge by ridge; activating the selection again, or Clear, releases it.

Use the component

Install from the CTZN registry, then pass your prepared rows. Examples below illustrate the component contract.

npx shadcn add @ctzn-viz/ridgeline-stack

<RidgelineStack rows={rows} groups={cycles}
  threshold={0} thresholdColors={[liberal, conservative]}
  markers={medians} counts={donors} overlap={2.6} rowHeight={17}
  xLabel="CFscore" ariaLabel="Donor ideology by cycle" />

Cycle

Reliable donor-cycles

Median CFscore, donors

Median CFscore, dollars (binned)

Within ±0.25, donors (%)

Within ±0.25, dollars (%)

Below −0.5 (%)

Above +0.5 (%)

1,980

31,138

0.62

0.57

11.8

12.3

20.1

53.2

1,982

25,207

0.62

0.82

12.3

9.6

19.2

53.4

1,984

39,460

0.56

0.8

21.7

51.5

1,986

45,211

0.57

0.72

11.1

19.6

1,988

70,902

0.42

0.58

12.7

11.1

24.1

47.8

1,990

111,512

0.32

0.51

11.3

11.5

28.5

45.6

1,992

167,283

0.17

0.22

10.3

32.3

42.9

1,994

197,604

0.36

0.25

10.7

10.5

46.6

1,996

297,838

0.43

0.28

10.7

9.4

27.5

48.4

1,998

470,028

0.23

0.14

10.1

12.3

44.3

2,000

598,971

0.25

0.39

9.1

31.9

44.9

2,002

794,413

0.1

0.18

9.6

24.5

35.3

42.5

2,004

1,033,327

-0.17

0.26

7.7

8.4

42.3

39.9

2,006

1,142,451

-0.28

0.42

7.8

7.2

44.1

37.7

2,008

1,425,885

-0.49

-0.15

6.2

49.8

35.8

2,010

1,409,984

-0.37

0.55

6.6

7.7

46.9

2,012

1,805,776

-0.74

0.22

4.6

4.8

32.3

2,014

1,597,010

-0.74

0.42

4.8

6.6

30.7

2,016

1,978,112

-0.89

-0.27

3.4

4.6

64.4

27.6

2,018

2,161,252

-0.95

-0.6

2.5

3.5

72.8

21.2

Cycle

CFscore bin centre

Density, donors

Density, dollars

1,980

-2.45

1,980

-2.35

1,980

-2.25

1,980

-2.15

1,980

-2.05

1,980

-1.95

1,980

-1.85

1,980

-1.75

1,980

-1.65

1,980

-1.55

1,980

-1.45

1,980

-1.35

1,980

-1.25

1,980

-1.15

1,980

-1.05

0.04

0.02

1,980

-0.95

0.24

0.16

1,980

-0.85

0.39

0.4

1,980

-0.75

0.45

0.48

1,980

-0.65

0.47

0.5

1,980

-0.55

0.42

0.45

How to read it

Data shape & units

Controls & accessibility

Use the component

Install from the CTZN registry, then pass your prepared rows. Examples below illustrate the component contract.

npx shadcn add @ctzn-viz/ridgeline-stack

<RidgelineStack rows={rows} groups={cycles} threshold={0} thresholdColors={[liberal, conservative]} markers={medians} counts={donors} overlap={2.6} rowHeight={17} xLabel="CFscore" ariaLabel="Donor ideology by cycle" />

How to read it

When to use it

Watch out for

Data shape & units

Missing values

Controls & accessibility

Use the component

Examples using this form

The donor centre emptied first

The cold mass at zero

Counties sorted into landslides

How to read it

When to use it

Watch out for

Data shape & units

Missing values

Controls & accessibility

Use the component

Examples using this form

The donor centre emptied first

The cold mass at zero

Counties sorted into landslides