Explaining Our Political Differences to Increase Cross-Party Understanding

• In Event: How to Reduce Polarization

Abstract

While a large amount of research investigates ways to reduce party animosity in the U.S. public, I investigate a related, but distinct, goal: generating cross-party understanding. Can individuals be pushed beyond a lukewarm tolerance of the other party – such as the notion of agreeing to disagree – toward a fuller understanding in which they see legitimate rationales for the other side’s beliefs? I develop an intervention for building such understanding, which I call “explaining differences,” and test it in a survey experiment. In the context of gun policy, liberal Democrats will learn about a conservative “danger” viewpoint (such as the belief that gun laws put law-abiding individuals at a disadvantage, since there are always bad people who will get guns). Similarly, conservative Republicans will learn about a liberal “humanism” viewpoint (such as the belief that unilateral gun disarmament is the best way to reduce overall harm). My approach contrasts with a more common depolarization approach that “emphasizes commonalities” between the parties. I test the effects of both approaches (explaining differences and emphasizing commonalities) on cross-party understanding, animosity, and engagement. I expect that explaining differences can increase understanding, serving as a buttress against democratic erosion.

Author

• Jeremy Levy, Northwestern University