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What does the research say about polarization?
Sep 10, 2024
Rachel Kleinfeld, an expert in international relations and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, dives deep into America's political polarization. She highlights the surprising ideological agreements among citizens despite intense animosity. The discussion reveals how elected officials often hold more extreme views than the public. Solutions like ranked-choice voting and fostering civil discourse are proposed to bridge divides, along with a poignant look at how the decline of local news affects community engagement.
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Quick takeaways
- Emotional dislike between partisans drives affective polarization, yet research reveals Americans share more policy agreement than perceived.
- The two-party system and primary elections exacerbate polarization, emphasizing extreme views and leaving centrist sentiments underrepresented.
Deep dives
The Nature of Political Polarization
Political polarization in the United States is characterized by high levels of emotional dislike between partisans, a phenomenon known as affective polarization. While individuals may feel a strong aversion toward the opposing party, research indicates that Americans actually share more policy agreement than is commonly perceived. The disconnect arises because elected politicians tend to be more ideologically polarized than the general electorate, leading citizens to mistakenly attribute extreme views to their peers. This misperception fuels divisive sentiments, making it essential to bridge the gap between perceived and actual political beliefs among the populace.
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