In a recent megastudy published in Science, researchers led by Jan Voelkel examined 25 interventions to address rising partisan hostility and antidemocratic attitudes in the United States. Concerns about political divisions threatening democratic values have prompted both scholars and practitioners to seek strategies to ease partisan tensions. This study, involving over 32,000 participants, tested treatments aimed at reducing partisan animosity and support for undemocratic behaviours or partisan violence.
The study revealed notable findings. Many treatments reduced partisan animosity by up to 10.5 percentage points, particularly those that emphasised shared identities or highlighted sympathetic individuals from opposing political perspectives. For antidemocratic attitudes, interventions that corrected misconceptions about rival groups’ views or underscored the risk of democratic collapse proved most effective, reducing support for undemocratic practices by up to 5.8 percentage points. Other approaches, including endorsements of democratic principles by political elites, showed promise in reducing support for political violence.
The results suggest that reducing partisan animosity alone may not fully mitigate antidemocratic attitudes. Treatments that successfully reduced animosity didn’t necessarily impact support for political violence or undemocratic practices. This implies that partisan animosity and antidemocratic attitudes are distinct and may require tailored approaches. Still, lowering partisan animosity often correlated with positive outcomes, including increased support for bipartisan cooperation, reduced social distrust, and a decline in biased evaluations of politicised issues.
The findings offer actionable insights for addressing political division in the United States. While shared identity and correcting misperceptions emerged as powerful tools to reduce animosity, different strategies might be needed to combat support for undemocratic actions. This study underscores the importance of multifaceted approaches in promoting democratic values and navigating the complexities of partisan division.