Interventions reducing affective polarization do not necessarily improve anti-democratic attitudes

Area of Science:

• Political Science
• Social Psychology
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Rising affective polarization, characterized by dislike for political out-groups, is a growing concern.
• This polarization is suspected to fuel anti-democratic attitudes and behaviors.
• Existing depolarization interventions aim to reduce affective polarization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally test whether established depolarization interventions reduce anti-democratic attitudes, not just affective polarization.
• To investigate the causal link between affective polarization and anti-democratic sentiments.
• To guide future interventions aimed at strengthening democratic norms.

Main Methods:

• Experimental tests with a large sample size (n=8,385).
• Evaluation of three distinct depolarization interventions: correcting misperceptions, priming friendships, and observing positive cross-partisan interactions.
• Measurement of changes in affective polarization and support for anti-democratic attitudes.

Main Results:

• All tested depolarization interventions successfully reduced affective polarization.
• No compelling evidence was found that these interventions reduced support for undemocratic candidates.
• Support for partisan violence and prioritizing partisan goals over democratic means remained unaffected.

Conclusions:

• Depolarization interventions effectively reduce negative feelings towards political out-groups.
• These interventions do not appear to significantly reduce anti-democratic attitudes or behaviors.
• Directly targeting pro-democratic attitudes may be more effective than solely addressing affective polarization.