The challenge
Americans increasingly dislike and distrust people from the other party.
The case
Braver Angels, a US nonprofit, runs 'Red/Blue' workshops in which equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats share their views, listen and reflect on stereotypes, using methods drawn from couples counselling. Researchers led by Brown University's Robert Blair randomly assigned undergraduates at four universities either to a workshop or to surveys only, and followed them up about a week and six months later. One week on, participants expressed 22% less direct hostility toward the other party, scored lower on an implicit bias test and were more willing to donate to depolarization groups. Survey effects fell off somewhat over time, but six months later participants still showed less implicit bias, though the difference was weaker, and the donation effect persisted.
Why the results were mixed
Structured, emotionally engaging dialogue can reduce hostility, but one-off sessions wear off, so repeat contact or follow-up is likely needed.
Sources
- Brown University (2021). Political 'couples therapy' could heal a divided America, study finds.
- Baron, H. et al. (2021). Can Americans depolarize? Assessing the effects of reciprocal group reflection on partisan polarization. EGAP working paper.
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