Treating Polarization
What you can learn when you ask 32,000 people some interesting questions and share some human stories
Better Late than Never
This study arrived a bit late for the 2024 election cycle, but hopefully not too late for the idea of a pluralist democracy. Its title: Megastudy Testing 25 Treatments to Antidemocratic Attitudes and Partisan Animosity (Voekel, Stagnaro, Chu, et. al. Science, Oct 18, 2024).
Hundreds of sociologists, political scientists, scholars, and practitioners suggested 252 treatments for an ailing democracy. The lead researchers analyzed and reduced these to a list of 25 interventions.
This was a megastudy, meaning a huge sample set. Over 32,000 subjects were included, representative of partisanship in the US context, primarily Republicans and Democrats (registered independents aren’t technically partisan).
After evaluating the relative strengths of these 25 interventions, they were rated for their effectiveness in promoting democratic practices and reducing animosity towards those on the other side. An important value within this is that democracy needs pluralism and is damaged by animosity toward opposing partisans.
The study includes various charts and graphs, most notably the list of treatments. These 25 treatments are listed at the end. Some are quite simple and could easily be integrated into workplace routines, paired with civic activities, or practiced with neighbors.
The simple conclusion: "Efficacious strategies for reducing partisan animosity included highlighting sympathetic, politically dissimilar individuals and emphasizing common identities." In plain language, when people allow for some sensitivity and vulnerability on their part, and spend time with people whose political views are different, finding common ground can lead to a potential identity shift.
Identity is crucial. People don’t just hold different political ideas; they incorporate these into a sense of who they are. If anyone challenges their ideas, it feels like a challenge to their self-concept.
Furthermore, the way people understand themselves, their identity, is not isolated. They are part of communities like neighborhood associations, softball teams, churches, and political parties that reinforce and enhance that identity. These 25 treatments, rather than challenging identities, expand the sense of identity.
First the bad news
In the chart (A) below, positive numbers on the number line represent the presence of animosity, while negative numbers to the left represent a diminishing of animosity. (More complete descriptions of these treatments are listed below.)
When we implement the interventions that work, things improve. But when the disease is not inoculated, some disturbing dominoes begin to fall. The researchers write,
"For example, it makes sense that treatment effects on animosity toward outpartisans...would be closely related to trust in strangers.... This result suggests that partisan animosity may increase societal divisions by eroding generalized trust in others, which...is important for...sustaining cooperation and market exchange."
In other words, it’s bad for business. You might avoid hiring a plumber because of their bumper stickers or avoid a used car lot because the owner donated to someone's campaign. This avoidance extends to civic groups, youth sports clubs, and community volunteering, leading to social fragmentation—a Hobbesian landscape, an autocrat’s dream.
The researchers identified a closely aligned set of attitudes: social distrust, social exclusion (called "social distance" in the study), biased evaluation of politicized facts, opposition to bipartisan cooperation, support for undemocratic candidates, and partisan animosity.
And it isn't as if partisans don't know what they're doing.
"Consistent with prior research, we find that American partisans generally oppose undemocratic practices yet are willing to vote for candidates from their own party who engage in them."
This reflects a shift from a live-and-let-live libertarianism to a watch-your-back Hobbesian dystopia.
“Consistent with prior research, we find that American partisans generally oppose undemocratic practices yet are willing to vote for candidates from their own party who engage in them."
Whatever 'is good for me, but not for thee.' We go rolling from a live and let live libertarianism to a watch your back Hobbesian dystopia (in which life is “solitary, nasty, brutish, and short”).
Now the good news
There were treatments that worked. The term "treatment" can be problematic, as it implies an outside observer making judgments. In reality, if you are alive in the USA right now, you're likely affected and spreading this to others, turning an episodic issue into something endemic.
The effective treatments involved storytelling or demonstrations, not abstract ideas. Participants engaged in games or watched stories. One effective story was a video about two candidates in Utah running for governor, modeling genuine mutual respect.
In other cases, learning about the effects of a policy on another person tempered an individual's animosity. In sympathetic personal narratives, participants watched five short videos of people discussing what others may not see or understand about them. They then watched another animated video about how democracy allows people with different views to work together.
"Accordingly, the two most efficacious strategies for reducing support for undemocratic practices—correcting exaggerated stereotypes of outpartisans and highlighting the potential consequences of democratic collapse—were also the most efficacious in reducing support for undemocratic candidates."
In other words, as values realign, people choose not to support those who break democratic norms.
Along with these narrative elements was a perspective on shared reality, which might not arise intuitively. There remains a need for an inoculator, somebody with the syringe injecting the vaccine, so to speak—an intervener highlighting "identities connecting people" because the partisans cannot see it themselves. And since communities create belonging and can police identity to maintain it, threatening disaffiliation if someone breaks rank, this process needs a convener from outside the community.
Finding counterparts outside the community is hard. However, there is a cross-partisan group labeled the "common exhausted majority," a group exhausted by polarizing content from the media and tired of political conflict.
Hope is not a wish; it is an action. A big part of this action is in storytelling and genuine listening. So easy, yet so hard.
The 25 Treatments
Befriending meditation: Participants heard an audio track that guided them through a befriending meditation. The speaker emphasized treating oneself well and being kind to others.
Bipartisan joint trivia quiz: Participants played a collaborative trivia game in which they would perform better if they used answers shared by their partner with a different partisan identity.
Correcting democracy misperceptions: Participants were asked to what extent most outpartisans support undemocratic actions and were then told the true extent of this support (quite low) using previously collected survey data.
Correcting division misperceptions: Participants watched a video featuring several Democrats and Republicans learning that the other side is less extreme on immigration and out party dehumanization than they expected.
Correcting opportunism misperceptions: Participants estimated to what extent outpartisans would accept extreme negative events (e.g., many USCOVID-19–related deaths) to increase the odds of winning the next election, then received feedback that the average out partisan would not accept such events for electoral advantage.
Correcting oppositional misperceptions: Participants estimated how many outpartisans would oppose state legislative actions that could benefit their own party. Participants got feedback on how the average out partisan responded.
Correcting policy misperceptions chatbot: Participants interacted with a chatbot, guessing where Democrats and Republicans fall on various political issues, then received feedback on how far apart Democrats and Republicans truly are.
Common economic interests: Participants watched a video suggesting that economic interests unite most Americans across political divides and that the superrich are a common enemy of most Democrats and Republicans.
Common exhausted majority identity: Participants read that news media creates polarization to maximize its audience. Participants read that most Democrats and Republicans are part of an exhausted majority that rejects polarization.
Common national identity: Participants read that democracy has been crucial to America’s success. Participants read that Democrats and Republicans share a national identity that entails supporting democracy and rejecting violence.
Counterfactual partisan selves: Participants read that environments and experiences shape people’s political beliefs. Participants gave their views on divisive issues and then answered the questions again imagining that they were born into different circumstances.
Democratic collapse threat: Participants watched a video of civic unrest and police repression in several countries where democracy collapsed and saw scenes from the 2021 US Capitol riot. Participants then answered questions about how they could protect democracy.
Democratic system justification: Participants read an article about how the US and Americans never abandon the principles that made America great. Participants read that Americans stay faithful to the principles of democracy, civility, and respect.
Describing a likable outpartisan: Participants wrote about a person from the other party that they like and respect
Moral similarities and differences: Participants read about moral foundation theory, which argues that we all share the same six moral foundations. Participants read that people use these moral foundations differently on different issues.
Outpartisans’ experiences of harm: Participants read that outpartisans hold their views because of personal experiences of suffering. For example, Republican participants read a story of a person who is antigun because their friend was murdered by someone who obtained a gun without a proper background check.
Outpartisans’ willingness to learn: Participants read a message and survey responses from an outpartisan who indicated a willingness to learn about and better understand opposing views. Participants then responded to the message.
Party overlap on policies: Participants answered questions about their views on eight policies. After each question, they are shown the high overlap in the views of Democrats and Republicans on the issue.
Political violence inefficacy: Participants read a news article about how nonviolent protests are historically more effective than violent protests in bringing about social change.
Positive contact video: Participants watched a video showing pairs of British people bonding with one another despite having political disagreements. Participants who answered questions about the video correctly could share the video with someone from the other party.
Pro-democracy in party elite cues: Participants read an op-ed (i) quoting a leader of their party rejecting violence and antidemocratic actions and (ii) reporting that more than 90% of in partisans reject violence and antidemocratic actions.
Pro-democracy bipartisan elite cues: Participants watched a campaign ad from the 2020 Democratic and Republican candidates for Utah governor. Both candidates endorsed accepting the results of the election and a peaceful transfer of power.
Reducing outpartisan electoral threat: Participants read about how their party is dominating American politics now and will for the foreseeable future.
Sympathetic personal narratives: Participants watched five short videos of people talking about what others may miss about them. Participants then watched another animated video about how democracy allows people with different views to work together.
Utility of outparty empathy: Participants read that empathizing with people with different political beliefs can lead one’s own side to be more persuasive and liked.