Bridging and Polarization
How does “bridging” reduce polarization?
Many people in the United States are concerned about social division and toxic polarization. In recent years, the term “bridging” has been used to describe efforts to create meaningful connections across ideology, geography, religion, race, gender, and other kinds of difference. According to Listen First, Bridging is “the intentional bringing together of people or perspectives that are currently disconnected or divided [to] cultivate understanding, curiosity, trust, empathy, respect, relationships, shared identity, and common ground.”
A wide array of leaders, organizations, researchers, authors, and others are contributing to bridging work and forging new common ground across perceived divides. The ultimate goal of this work is strengthening social connections and democratic processes. The opposite of bridging is division and isolation, where groups of people are separated from others, often intentionally, based on dislike or hatred of “the other.” Bridging organizations use methodologies like structured conversations, communications strategies, and shared experiences to help people hear and understand other perspectives and reduce animosity and contempt.
Read about OCDR's project to encourage connection and collaboration between Minnesota's bridge-building organizations.
OCDR guides
Recommended resources
- National Governors Association’s Disagree Better initiative: This 2023-2024 initiative models and promotes cross-party dialogue and collaboration to reduce hyper-partisanship.
- Listen First Coalition: This coalition represents a group of over 500 bridging organizations bringing Americans together across divides to listen and understand each other, to find common ground, and to make bridge-building and collaboration norms. Listen First also catalogues helpful data points on polarization.
- Braver Angels: This national movement co-founded by Bill Doherty of the University of Minnesota aims to reduce political polarization and foster dialogue and understanding among Americans of different political views through workshops, trainings, dialogues and other methods. Braver Angels' governing board is made up of 50% members who "lean Red" (more conservative) and 50% who "lean Blue" (more liberal).
- Greater Good Science Center's Bridging Differences Program: This UC-Berkeley center studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and has a plethora of online resources focused on bridging, including a "playbook" and an online course.
- AllSides: The Allsides website provides major news headlines from across the political spectrum, and features a “Red-Blue” dictionary and an online space for news about the Bridging movement.
- Hidden Common Ground: Overcoming Divisiveness: This Public Agenda report shows that Americans from across the political spectrum agree that divisiveness is an issue and that there are solutions for overcoming it.
- Political Polarization in the American Public: This 2014 Pew Research Center study shows the increasing ideological polarization of Republicans and Democrats from 1994 to 2014.
- Building Resilience to Political Violence: This report by New American and Over Zero uses lessons learned from social science and international peacebuilding to suggest ways to resist political violence in the U. S.
- Peacemakers Toolkit: This Search for Common Ground resource is a reference for reconciliation and depolarization in churches and other communities.
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