Back to Search Start Over

Megastudy testing 25 treatments to reduce antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity.

Authors :
Voelkel JG
Stagnaro MN
Chu JY
Pink SL
Mernyk JS
Redekopp C
Ghezae I
Cashman M
Adjodah D
Allen LG
Allis LV
Baleria G
Ballantyne N
Van Bavel JJ
Blunden H
Braley A
Bryan CJ
Celniker JB
Cikara M
Clapper MV
Clayton K
Collins H
DeFilippis E
Dieffenbach M
Doell KC
Dorison C
Duong M
Felsman P
Fiorella M
Francis D
Franz M
Gallardo RA
Gifford S
Goya-Tocchetto D
Gray K
Green J
Greene J
Güngör M
Hall M
Hecht CA
Javeed A
Jost JT
Kay AC
Kay NR
Keating B
Kelly JM
Kirk JRG
Kopell M
Kteily N
Kubin E
Lees J
Lenz G
Levendusky M
Littman R
Luo K
Lyles A
Lyons B
Marsh W
Martherus J
Maurer LA
Mehl C
Minson J
Moore M
Moore-Berg SL
Pasek MH
Pentland A
Puryear C
Rahnama H
Rathje S
Rosato J
Saar-Tsechansky M
Almeida Santos L
Seifert CM
Shariff A
Simonsson O
Spitz Siddiqi S
Stone DF
Strand P
Tomz M
Yeager DS
Yoeli E
Zaki J
Druckman JN
Rand DG
Willer R
Source :
Science (New York, N.Y.) [Science] 2024 Oct 18; Vol. 386 (6719), pp. eadh4764. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Oct 18.
Publication Year :
2024

Abstract

Scholars warn that partisan divisions in the mass public threaten the health of American democracy. We conducted a megastudy ( n = 32,059 participants) testing 25 treatments designed by academics and practitioners to reduce Americans' partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes. We find that many treatments reduced partisan animosity, most strongly by highlighting relatable sympathetic individuals with different political beliefs or by emphasizing common identities shared by rival partisans. We also identify several treatments that reduced support for undemocratic practices-most strongly by correcting misperceptions of rival partisans' views or highlighting the threat of democratic collapse-which shows that antidemocratic attitudes are not intractable. Taken together, the study's findings identify promising general strategies for reducing partisan division and improving democratic attitudes, shedding theoretical light on challenges facing American democracy.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1095-9203
Volume :
386
Issue :
6719
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Science (New York, N.Y.)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
39418366
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adh4764