CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Inaltekin, Süleyman |
|---|---|
| Title | Walking in Another's Shoes: An Experimental Study on the Effects of Perspective-Taking in Decreasing Affective Polarization |
| Summary | Affective polarization, characterized by increased attachment to one's own political party (in-group) and heightened prejudice and hostility towards the opposing party (out-group), has increased dramatically in the United States over the past 30 years. This study explores the potential of perspective-taking as a method to decrease affective polarization and bridge the partisan divide among US citizens. To test this, the researcher deployed a randomized survey experiment to 317 participants recruited through Facebook ads. Participants were randomly assigned to treatments featuring varying stories of an out-party member aimed to induce perspective-taking (employing affective mechanisms and cognitive mechanisms). The effect of the treatments on affection polarization levels is tested using multiple linear models. The null-hypotheses could not be rejected. The findings show that perspective-taking does not reduce affective polarization levels among US partisans. Yet, the findings from this research add on to the literature of the different kinds of mechanisms through which perspective-taking operates and can inform future methods for reducing affective polarization between partisans in the United States. |
| Supervisor | Angelova, Mariyana |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/inaltekin_esai.pdf |
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