Three Strategies to Help Americans Bridge the Deepening Partisan Divide

What can be done to lessen political polarization in the U.S.? A few nonprofit organizations are trying to amplify their methods to tone down the temperature

Early voting for the Rhode Island state primary begins on Aug. 21.
The vast majority of people in the U.S. are concerned about the current state of polarization in the nation.
rawpixel.com / Felix
Share
Early voting for the Rhode Island state primary begins on Aug. 21.
The vast majority of people in the U.S. are concerned about the current state of polarization in the nation.
rawpixel.com / Felix
Three Strategies to Help Americans Bridge the Deepening Partisan Divide
Copy

Is it possible to bridge America’s stark political divisions?

In the wake of a presidential election that many feared could tear the U.S. apart, this question is on many people’s minds.

A record-high 80% of Americans believe the U.S. is greatly divided on “the most important values”. Ahead of the election, a similar percentage of Americans said they feared violence and threats to democracy. Almost half the country believes people on the other side of the political divide are “downright evil.”

Some say that the vitriolic rhetoric of political leaders and social media influencers is partly to blame for the country’s state of toxic polarization. Others cite social media platforms that amplify misinformation and polarization.

There is, however, reason for hope.

Read the full article on The Conversation.

This is the eighth year Ocean State Media has awarded a college scholarship worth up to $60,000 over four years
Once thought lost to history, the powerful handwritten declaration by New England Baptist clergy resurfaces—shedding new light on religious resistance to slavery and a pivotal moment in the church’s past
Imagine if you could be the greatest in the world at anything, but you’d have to sell your soul to do it. That’s the story of the show “¡Que Diablos! Fausto,” a bilingual production at Teatro en El Verano
Rhode Island had been poised to become a hub for offshore wind, but the new domestic policy bill debated overnight in the U.S. House could put that work in jeopardy