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Our country is experiencing a level of factionalism and escalation not seen since the Civil War.
Up to 80% of Democrats and Republicans see the other party as a threat to the country.
of Americans consider supporters of the other party to be “downright evil.”
of Americans say they see political violence as sometimes justified.
Among the engines for this animosity, Americans increasingly live in like-minded enclaves that shape every dimension of our lives—from where we work to what religious communities we do or don’t join. Most of us have no one in our immediate social circle with opposing political views.
Research shows many of us live with massive perception gaps—a distorted understanding of who our counterparts are, what they care about, and how they relate to us. While policy differences are real, across the political spectrum we see our counterparts as nearly roughly 25% more twice as extreme as than they are.
16% of Americans have stopped speaking to a family member or close friend over politics. This suggests the unraveling of 50 million relationships at a time researchers warn an epidemic of loneliness poses serious harms to our health and democracy. Workplaces, campuses, and houses of worship are boiling over if not unraveling with political tensions.
Polarization makes every other issue – from public health crises to election integrity – exponentially harder to address. Leaders become more concerned with undoing each other’s gains than solving problems. It becomes that much harder to build coalitions to advance the greater good.
We are seeing rampant cynicism and exhaustion, with many putting their fingers in their ears and checking out of public and communal life. Confidence in our institutions – from the Supreme Court to elections – is at historic lows. Declining civic trust correlates strongly with depressed voter participation and increased risks of extremism and hate.
America is seeing startling leaps in acts of and acceptance of political violence, harassment, and threats. Studies show a strong correlation between democratic decline and the kind of “pernicious polarization” that’s developed in the U.S., where people see their counterparts as so dangerous they must be stopped.
Scientific and medical breakthroughs often emerge from researchers who seek out collaborators that disconfirm their own thinking. Without our analysis and views being pressure tested by those who see things differently than us, we make incorrect assumptions– about each other and the problems we face.
16% of Americans have stopped speaking to a family member or close friend over politics. This suggests the unraveling of 50 million relationships at a time researchers warn an epidemic of loneliness poses serious harms to our health and democracy. Workplaces, campuses, and houses of worship are boiling over if not unraveling with political tensions.
Polarization makes every other issue—from public health crises to election integrity—exponentially harder to address. Leaders become more concerned with undoing each other’s gains than solving problems. It becomes that much harder to build coalitions to advance the greater good.
We are seeing rampant cynicism and exhaustion, with many putting their fingers in their ears and checking out of public and communal life. Confidence in our institutions—from the Supreme Court to elections—is at historic lows. Declining civic trust correlates strongly with depressed voter participation and increased risks of extremism and hate.
America is seeing startling leaps in acts of and acceptance of political violence, harassment, and threats. Studies show a strong correlation between democratic decline and the kind of “pernicious polarization” that’s developed in the U.S., where people see their counterparts as so dangerous they must be stopped.
Scientific and medical breakthroughs often emerge from researchers who seek out collaborators that disconfirm their own thinking. Without our analysis and views being pressure tested by those who see things differently than us, we make incorrect assumptions—about each other and the problems we face.
Patterns of polarized societal conflict can and do change. Societies can be pulled back from the brink.
Resetting the Table’s impactful strategies draw from decades of experience, expertise, and research on how to overcome destructive conflict in the U.S. and build a shared society and democracy.
