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Updated: Jun 7, 2025
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A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
12.8K
Interacting as equals reduces partisan polarization in Mexico
Kenneth F Greene1, Erin L Rossiter2, Enrique Seira3
1Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
Nature Human Behaviour
|November 11, 2024
Summary
Collaborative online contact between opposing partisans reduced intolerance. Equal social status during interaction led to lasting reductions in political polarization, demonstrating a scalable intervention for promoting prosocial online interactions.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Political Science
- Computational Social Science
Background:
- Political polarization is a growing concern in democracies, often characterized by intolerance towards opposing partisans.
- The contact hypothesis posits that intergroup interaction can reduce prejudice, particularly when individuals are of equal social status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the effectiveness of collaborative, online cross-partisan contact in reducing partisan intolerance.
- To investigate the role of social status equalization in moderating the effects of intergroup contact.
Main Methods:
- 1,227 pairs of citizens (2,454 individuals) with opposing partisan views in Mexico participated in online collaborative contact.
- Participants were randomly assigned to interact under conditions of equal or unequal social status.
- Tolerant behavior was measured immediately after contact and again three weeks later.
Main Results:
- Both equal and unequal status interactions initially enhanced tolerant behavior.
- The positive effects of equal status contact on tolerance persisted three weeks post-interaction.
- Unequal status contact showed only temporary benefits, with tolerance levels returning to baseline.
Conclusions:
- Collaborative online contact, particularly when participants are on equal footing, can effectively reduce partisan intolerance.
- Equalizing social status in online interactions is crucial for achieving sustained reductions in political polarization.
- This study offers a scalable, prosocial intervention strategy for mitigating online partisan animosity.
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