While political polarization and the issues with American political discourse arise often, there isn’t exactly a story on the topic every day. In fact, once a week would be a bit of a stretch, unless you include opinion columns, which there are typically more of that concern this topic. But, there is still a plethora of information on the topic out there, and here are a few of the best sources I found over the last week:
When I started looking for sources, I started on YouTube, mostly because I had never looked there for information on the topic, and I found a couple of really good sources.
1) This video, which is published by San Francisco State University, features a political science professor, Robert C. Smith. Smith spends about two minutes discussing political polarization, and the video is a great and fast explainer on the topic.
2) This may not be the best source, but I wanted to include it in this week’s blog anyway. Axios published a story on Valentine’s Day about dating in a politically polarized world, it was interesting and worth the read.
3) This William and Mary source is likely my favorite. Xiaowen Xu, a psychological sciences professor at William and Mary, is studying political polarization and its topics. What is especially interesting is that they are seeing if they twist a political belief or ideology in a way that fits the personality of someone, it may make someone more perceptive to that argument, according to the article.
4) This Pew Research study, which I have used in previous blogs, titled “Political Polarization in the American Public” is a great study and is very well-sourced, though it is a couple of years outdated at this point. But, the study clearly points out that America underwent a shift when political opposites began to shift further and further apart, and it still happens to this day.
5) Additionally, this Gallup research by Frank Newport better explains the impact of polarization on America. Newport writes that “polarization and partisan conflict lead to inaction, as ‘my way or the highway,’ ideologically rigid mentalities lower the probability of achieving the compromise that should be at the heart of legislative functioning.” Newport also discusses the benefits of polarization, which makes his work unique compared to other work on the topic.
