The divide between the two ends of the political spectrum in the United States is deeper than ever, and both sides seem poised to exploit that in the 2024 election
Political science researchers at UC Berkeley think that this polarity can end, and experts at Stanford agree, because they recognized a new Berkeley study as the best way to strengthen democracy and reduce polarization. The key may be getting voters on the two sides to understand each other better, and not fall for the divisive rhetoric and authoritarian messaging of candidates like former President Trump. For more on this, Doug Sovern, Patti Reising and Brett Burkhart spoke with Alia Braley, a PhD candidate in political science at UC Berkeley who holds a Masters in Divinity from Harvard and specializes in the study of democratic resilience in cases of political polarization. She is the co-author of this new study, which was published today in the journal Nature Human Behavior.