Professors and students share thoughts on cause of divisiveness in the United States

Photos of Professor Druckman, Mikala Stokes, Professor Harbridge-Yong, and Professor BonillaLeft to right: Professor James Druckman, Mikala Stokes, Professor Laurel Harbridge-Yong, and Professor Tabitha Bonilla

Professors and students were asked the question, “What has led to the current divisiveness within the United States, and how has that impacted civility and the ability to compromise?”

James Druckman ’93, Payson S. Wild Professor in the Department of Political Science and associated director for the Institute for Policy Research, believes the cause is ideological sorting. Sorting into different political parties based on demographics and partisan media sharing distinct media has a large effect on divisiveness.

“So people are generating these perceptions of the other side — actually in a fairly inaccurate fashion — as being so different from themselves because what they’re seeing is not the modal member of the other side but rather the extreme, so the other side looks totally incomprehensible,” shares Professor Druckman.

Mikala Stokes, a third-year doctoral student in the Department of History, holds the belief that it is difficult to be civil when opposing parties can’t come together and largely acknowledge hurt and pain.

“I think the current age of incivility is a reflection of the country’s persistent inability to acknowledge the legacy of white supremacy and systemic racism,” reflects Mikala Stokes.

Laurel Harbridge-Yong, professor in the Department of Political Science, attributes divisivenss to a person’s political party aligning with and dominating other social identities.

“This focus on partisanship as a social identity makes it easy to demonize the other side and live in a bubble among people who think like you do,” states Professor Harbridge-Yong.

Tabitha Bonilla, professor in the Department of Political Science and the Institute for Policy Research, believes as candidates make more explicit promises and voters react to these policy positions, incivility is reinforced.

“My research demonstrates that elected officials are making more promises than they used to, meaning their policy positions are more committed. There is a lack of room for these candidates to compromise because they’re trying to mobilize voter bases,” recounts Professor Bonilla.

The full thoughts and ideas of these professors and students can be found in the Northwestern Magazine story “Sound Off: Understanding Incivility.”

Learn more about Professor James Druckman and his research on his website.

Learn more about Mikala Stokes and her research on her biography page.

Learn more about Professor Laurel Harbridge-Yong and her research on her website.

Learn more about Professor Tabitha Bonilla and her research on her faculty biography page.