Our Einstein Research Unit „Coping with Affective Polarization – How Civil Society Fosters Social Cohesion“ (ERU-CAP) is dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the phenomenon of affective polarisation and
ways of constructively dealing with its consequences. Our scientific team consists of researchers from the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, the Freie Universität Berlin and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
We are dedicated to making our research visible to the public and translating our insights into practical applications across diverse social contexts. Therefore, we collaborate with our partners from civil society to learn from their practical experiences and facilitate a mutual exchange between science and the public.
The ERU-CAP is part of the Berlin University Alliance and funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin.
Polarization lies at the center of current debates about the erosion of social cohesion. A particularly controversial issue is affective polarization – the tendency to feel a stronger sympathy and connection to like-minded people and parties while holding negative emotions and dismissive attitudes towards those with different beliefs.
This „us versus them“ mentality has the potential to inflict considerable harm upon societies, as it impedes the capacity for collaboration and compromise across various interest groups and political divisions, and erodes trust in government institutions. Consequently, affective polarization fosters intolerance, incivility and hate speech and may contribute to political violence, ultimately posing a threat to democracy.
In light of these developments, our ERU-CAP seeks to answer the crucial question:
How can we, as a society, deal with affective polarization and reduce its negative effects?
We believe that social cohesion is a crucial resource in mitigating the effects of affective polarization.
A cohesive society fosters dialogue, mutual understanding, and civic engagement,
enabling individuals and groups of people to navigate conflicts without deepening political and social divisions. Strengthening these qualities can help reduce affective polarization and its harmful consequences.
For more information on our research on social cohesion see our previous project Interaction in Civil Society.
Civil society plays a key role in putting the idea of social cohesion into practice, because it is directly involved
in the everyday practices and interactions that foster social unity. In particular, civil society organizations,
such as NGOs and activist groups, are crucial in bridging divides through their on-the-ground work.
That is why we closely collaborate with our partners from civil society, combining their approaches and practical experiences with our empirical-analytical insights. Together, we explore and implement effective intervention strategies to promote cooperation across social and political divides, for instance, and thereby strengthen social cohesion and reduce the negative effects of polarisation.
The investigation of these overarching research questions is facilitated by the development and establishment of a large data infrastructure, focused interdisciplinary empirical research, and a common interest in developing novel interventions involving actors from civil society. Specifically, we strive to answer these questions by realizing the aims of Monitoring, Understanding and Navigating affective polarization:
We approach our research questions from an interdisciplinary perspective, bringing together expertise from a wide range of scientific fields:
By drawing on these disciplines, we apply diverse theoretical frameworks and rigorous research methods, such as surveys, interviews, and media analysis, to study affective polarisation and to explore strategies to mitigate it.
A key aspect of our work is actively incorporating the perspectives of civil society actors.
We are particularly interested in their experiences with the consequences of affective polarization and the approaches they employ to address it. Using participatory research methods, we collaborate with
our partners from civil society to co-develop effective intervention strategies.
Interested in exploring further? Browse the questions below for brief descriptions of our shared understanding of the core ideas and concepts guiding our research.
Our Einstein Research Unit „Coping with Affective Polarization – How Civil Society Fosters Social Cohesion“ (ERU-CAP) is funded by the Einstein Foundation Berlin, a foundation that aims to promote cutting-edge scientific research and establish inter- and transdisciplinary networks in strategically important research fields among members of the Berlin University Alliance. The research grant number is ERU-2023-78.
For more information please visit:
www.einsteinfoundation.de
