October 2, 2025European Journal of Political ResearchOpen Access

Congenial messages from politicians reduce affective polarization among citizens

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Authors

RPRasmus T. PedersenCopenhagen University Hospital JCJulian ChristensenVIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research NPNiels Bjørn Grund PetersenUniversity of Münster

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Implication

Survey experiment shows politicians' congenial messages reduce negative emotions and social distance, implying potential for improving political discourse.

Key Points

Congenial messages from politicians significantly decrease affective polarization among citizens, reducing negative feelings toward outpartisans.
In a preregistered survey experiment with 2,000 participants, politicians’ respectful statements notably reduced social distancing from opponents.
This study demonstrates that the depolarizing effects of congenial rhetoric apply regardless of the politician's or citizen's political alignment.
Findings suggest that fostering positive political communication could mitigate divisive sentiments in contemporary politics.

Cite This Study

Pedersen et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68de796d5b556a9128e1adcd https://doi.org/10.1017/s1475676525100030

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Implication

Survey experiment shows politicians' congenial messages reduce negative emotions and social distance, implying potential for improving political discourse.

Congenial messages from politicians reduce affective polarization among citizens

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Congenial messages from politicians reduce affective polarization among citizens

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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