Cognitive political networks: A structural approach to measure political polarization in multiparty systems

•We propose a novel framework, cognitive political networks(CPNs), to study polarization using survey studies.•CPNs is suitable to study mass polarization in multiparty systems.•We compare CPNs with the commonly used Left-Right political ideology distance scale.•We show that CPNs is a flexible and a direct alternative for measuring perceived party polarization in multiparty contexts.