Political polarization is increasingly perceived as a pressing challenge for democratic societies. Growing tensions between different groups can undermine not only political institutions but also everyday social interactions.
A key dimension of this broader phenomenon is affective polarization: the tendency to experience negative emotions toward political opponents. Research on affective polarization has so far focused primarily on two-party systems and on adults. By contrast, we know far less about how affective polarization develops among adolescents—a life stage in which political attitudes and behaviors are still taking shape.
In the UAPA project, we investigate the drivers of affective polarization among adolescents in two European education systems: Germany and Belgium (Flanders). By adopting a comparative perspective, we aim to identify both shared patterns and country-specific dynamics of affective polarization during a critical phase of political socialization.
Project Description
UAPA brings together several empirical components:
- First, a non-representative survey examines the emotional, social, and political triggers of affective polarization among adolescents. In addition, a survey experiment tests potential strategies for reducing affective polarization—approaches that have so far received little attention in research on young people.
- Second, a representative survey provides a comprehensive overview of the prevalence and drivers of affective polarization in adolescence, while also shedding light on the role schools play in dealing with political divisions.
- Finally, we work directly with schools to develop concrete, practice-oriented strategies for addressing affective polarization in educational settings.
Across all project components, we integrate perspectives from research on affective polarization, political socialization, and civic and citizenship education. Rather than focusing exclusively on the consequences of polarization, the project explicitly examines how schools can respond to affective polarization and foster constructive dialogue on political and societal issues. Methodologically, the project draws on advanced analytical approaches and unique cross-national datasets of young people.
This project is conducted in collaboration with the research group of Prof. Ellen Claes (KU Leuven) and is funded through the Weave scheme by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO).