Coping with affective polarization: A research program

This discussion paper outlines a research program that addresses the question of how societies can cope with the negative consequences of affective polarization. Polarization is at the center of current debates about the erosion of social cohesion. Particularly prominent is the phenomenon of affective polarization - the tendency of individuals and groups to feel close to like-minded people while harboring negative emotions and derogatory attitudes towards those with opposing views. Affective polarization is especially harmful because it may inhibit cooperation and compromise across political camps, reduce trust in government, increase intolerance, fuel hate speech and even political violence, and thereby threaten democracy itself. The central question is how societies can manage affective polarization to mitigate its detrimental effects. We argue that social cohesion represents a key resource for societies to constructively address affective polarization and prevent its negative consequences, with civil society serving as a critical arena for implementing and examining this capacity. Our proposed research program builds on a theoretically grounded and extensive empirical investigation of affective polarization and coping strategies, combining interdisciplinarity with a rich set of methodological approaches. Specifically, the program pursues three goals: 1) Establishing the Berlin Polarization Monitor: This infrastructure will track developments in affective polarization in Berlin and Germany at large. The monitor, based on a large-scale panel survey study, will enable continuous analysis of the dynamics of affective polarization and inform both academic research and the broader public about its patterns and drivers. 2) Identifying coping strategies: The main empirical ambition is to identify strategies at the levels of (a) individuals, (b) situated social interactions, and (c) civil society organizations to manage and cope with affective polarization. 3) Developing applied interventions: Based on the empirical findings, we will derive two sets of interventions at the micro- and group-level to support coping and constructive engagement with affective polarization. A key feature is the co-design of these interventions in collaboration with civil society partners, ensuring their relevance and applicability to everyday contexts.