Building Empathy to Counter Affective Polarization Through Civic Education

Political polarization is a deeply ingrained and detrimental trait of American politics. While hardly a new phenomenon, the gap in political attitudes tied to partisan dispositions and ideological extremes has widened, with its manifestations becoming increasingly ominous. Political disagreements are now personal affronts that undermine people’s respect for the political system and one another. Civic education in primary, secondary, and post-secondary schools offers a pathway for systematically addressing the problems associated with polarization. High-quality classroom experiences can help young people develop accurate perspectives on the causes and consequences of polarization and offer possibilities for abatement. Civics instruction can encourage students to embrace social empathy, the ability to understand diverse life experiences while developing a sense of responsibility toward others. Among the root causes of affective polarization is the distorted understanding that many Americans have about one another. The Perception Gap has been defined as political partisans’ exaggerated opinions about their opponents’ issue positions. The term encompasses more than partisan or ideological disagreements on issues and refers to any overly negative distortions across the political spectrum. The Perception Gap has contributed to the rise in affective polarization manifested as personalized feelings of extreme dislike, distrust, and lack of empathy for those whose political identities are not aligned with one’s own. Over time, the level of collective stubbornness has grown, narrowing the possibilities for mitigation. Educating young people to distinguish distortion from reality has potential to counter these trends. This paper presents findings from secondary and post-secondary school students of the Perception Gap, a lesson developed by More Like US, an organization that supports civil discourse efforts by providing resources and opportunities to teachers and schools. The lesson plan covers causes, consequences, and potential solutions to the Perception Gap. The lesson seeks to increase students’ understanding of political polarization and narrow the Perception Gap by highlighting similarities in the ways that Americans across the political spectrum think about issues. The questions guiding this study are: Does the Perception Gap lesson improve students’ attitudes toward the opposing political party, including perceptions of threat or violence? Do students become more empathetic towards those with whom they disagree politically? Are students more willing to engage in political discussions with perceived political adversaries? Does the lesson change students’ views about the behavior of elected officials? The findings demonstrate that students had more positive attitudes toward perceived opponents after the Perception Gap lesson. They were less likely to believe that the Republican and Democratic parties were a serious threat to the nation. Students developed a greater sense of political empathy. They became more willing to engage in political discussions with people with whom they disagree. The lesson lessened the anxiety that students felt when engaging in political discussions with people with viewpoints in opposition to their own. The evidence suggests that correcting partisan misconceptions can be a successful response to affective polarization and can strengthen democracy by fostering a culture of political empathy. Words: 486