Befriending someone in the opposite party does not lessen anti-democratic attitudes, a study finds
Threats of political violence are all around us. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband was viciously attacked in their San Francisco home by an assailant looking to harm his wife. This comes after the House of Representatives had already beefed up its own security in July in response to a growing number of violent threats and attacks. And we’re just a few months away from the second anniversary of the worst violent attack on the Capitol since the War of 1812.
But focusing on polarization and political animus may be misguided, according to a body of research from Stanford University political scientist Robb Willer and colleagues. As part of a large-scale research project called the Strengthening Democracy Challenge at Stanford University, Willer and his team have been investigating “interventions” for preserving American democracy.
Social science researchers have long focused on the implications of partisan animosity rather than violence as a means of studying political differences. But times have changed. "Until recently political violence was pretty rare and it was unheard of that elites would tolerate or encourage it in any way,” Willer says. It was also thought that reducing animus would have a direct link on reducing violence.
And news about partisan divisions isn’t all negative. University of Pennsylvania political scientist Matthew Levendusky observes that just because parties can’t seem to get along does not signal any readiness to destroy opponents or topple democracy. Dislike for the other party may fester but far fewer embrace partisan violence, he says. Willer’s research also shows that there’s no easy link tying partisan animus, undemocratic politicians and violence.
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