Public Opinion in Times of Growing Polarisation

Abstract

In recent years modern democratic societies have been exposed to many large-scale crises that have contributed to growing political polarisation. Elite polarisation has been associated with some seemingly desirable outcomes such as revitalised partisanship, better representation, and increased turnout. However, more recent research has begun to investigate the potentially pernicious effects of polarisation and has linked polarisation to democratic erosion. Against this background, the panel aims to discuss papers on the beneficial as well as detrimental effects of external shocks and polarisation on citizens' political attitudes, beliefs, and behaviour. The panel also discusses why some citizens and societies are more resilient to crises than others and how democratic citizenship can be strengthened to make citizens resilient to future crises yet to come. In terms of methodology, we are particularly interested in innovative studies combining individual- and contextual-level data, but also other types of approaches are discussed. Overall, the panel aims to contribute to the ongoing debates on the current challenges that representative democracy is facing, and on how they can be overcome.

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