Interpersonal communication and affective polarization

Citizens discuss politics with each other frequently, and the conversations they hold can powerfully shape their political behavior. Within the political discussion literature, special emphasis has been placed on the implications of politically heterogeneous (i.e., talking to out-partisans) versus politically homogeneous (i.e., talking to co-partisans) conversations. This chapter reviews research examining the effect of politically heterogeneous versus homogeneous conversations on affective polarization. The review covers the main theoretical perspectives, methodological approaches, and empirical findings reported in this emerging literature. While studies are quite consistent in showing that talking to people with dissimilar political identities and beliefs reduces inter-party hostility, there is less clarity as to the mechanisms of influence. The chapter concludes by suggesting that future research should study additional populations, explore the mechanisms of influence more systematically, and translate research findings into effective depolarization interventions.