Research shows that humans are susceptible to simple stories and biased toward arguments that fit their current perspectives. Here’s how to confront those tendencies.
Articles on Polarization
Displaying 1 - 20 of 136 articles
Why would a young Republican back solar but reject a carbon tax? Twenty years of survey data shows climate opinion is more complex than party labels suggest.
Montesquieu shaped how Americans understood liberty, and his warning about a ‘tyranny of opinion’ speaks to today’s polarization.
In a polarized world, the greeting may be an acknowledgment of our interconnectedness.
Polarization and negative partisanship have lowered the standards for whom Americans are willing to support.
Other communication techniques can help move disagreement past attacks and sound bites.
Building broader support for climate action will require engaging people across political lines in ways that reduce, rather than heighten, partisan divisions.
The moral dimension of political polarization in the US, where each side views the other as immoral, helps fuel attacks like the one against Trump at the Washington Hilton.
Pope Leo responded firmly to Trump’s scathing criticism. A deeper dive into our archives explains how the exchange might well show a recurring dynamic.
Different kinds of Americans are generous in different ways.
With municipal elections on the horizon this year in several Canadian provinces and territories, local councils have the opportunity to show that quality debate can lead to a stronger democracy.
Partisan debates are less heated at the local level, providing lessons that might help calm the waters nationally.
Whether the American Dream is centered in economic mobility or personal freedom, many citizens believe its achievement has grown more elusive.
Voters in places like Aliquippa and Braddock aren’t becoming more radical; they’re responding to decades of disinvestment and institutional failure.
Although she’s the world’s reigning pop star, attitudes toward Swift are split markedly along both partisan and gender lines.
New research shows how identity-driven assumptions can turn common ground into conflict.
Ethics Bowl Canada hosts competitions where students, including science graduate students, explore complex ethical issues, like vaccines, through respectful dialogue in teams.
A new tool lets researchers get a handle on how social media algorithms affect emotions and polarization.
Sebastian Castellio penned one of the first arguments for religious freedom – but it went unheeded for centuries.
Active white nationalist groups operate in all but two U.S. states. Researchers have found that there’s a strong association between holding white nationalist views and supporting political violence.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Political Science, Boise State University
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W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy, Vanderbilt University
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Host, The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation
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King's University College, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Vice-President and Academic Dean (Interim), Western University
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Associate Professor of Political Science, Clarkson University
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Professor, Political Science, University of Alberta
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Professor of Psychology, University of Tennessee
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Professor of History and Provost Emeritus, Binghamton University, State University of New York
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Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Indiana University
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Professor of Political Science, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
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Professor Emeritus, Department of Politics, York University, Canada
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Associate Professor, Social & Behavioural Health Sciences, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
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Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Dayton
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Professor of Political Science and Founding Director, International Studies Program, Burman University
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Associate Science Editor & Co-Host of The Conversation Weekly Podcast, The Conversation