What happens when America is condensed into one room? Partisanship fades.
鈥楢merica in One Room鈥� polled voters before and after discussions and briefings. Centrist proposals gained support, as did confidence in democracy.
鈥楢merica in One Room鈥� polled voters before and after discussions and briefings. Centrist proposals gained support, as did confidence in democracy.
Dear reader:
鈥淭he country is not as divided as the media make it seem.鈥�
That鈥檚 a quote from a participant in a recent election survey experiment called 鈥淎merica in One Room.鈥� As the name indicates, the project brought together a聽representative sample聽of voters from around the country, reflecting the nation鈥檚 deep divides on partisanship, ideology, and identity. Over the course of a long weekend in Dallas, they held small-group discussions on five hot-button topics: immigration, healthcare, the environment, the economy, and foreign policy.
Many participants experienced significant shifts in thought. 鈥淩epublicans became more welcoming of immigration and less punitive in their attitudes,鈥� the researchers聽write聽in The New York Times. Support for making undocumented immigrants return to their home countries, for example, fell from 45 to 25 percent. Democrats shifted notably on economic issues 鈥� support for a federal minimum wage dropped by 23 percentage points.
The conversations also had a marked effect on people鈥檚 confidence in our democratic institutions: The percentage who said America鈥檚 system of democracy was 鈥渨orking well鈥� rose from 30 percent to 60 percent.
Many groups聽have undertaken聽similar efforts聽in recent years, anecdotally confirming what 鈥淎merica in One Room鈥� was able to measure: When you bring people of opposing views together for thoughtful discussions, the nation鈥檚 partisan divide shrinks.
The challenge, of course, lies in the 鈥渂ringing together鈥� part. Partisanship is now correlated with geography 鈥� Democrats are clustered in cities (and, increasingly, suburbs); Republicans dominate in exurban and rural areas. The lack of regular contact between Democrats and Republicans has led to a decrease in understanding. But overcoming a geographic divide is easier said than done.
And while physical distance isn鈥檛 an issue in virtual communities, those spaces are increasingly segregated as well. The participants in Dallas were given a 55-page handbook with arguments for and against each policy proposal. Most voters today get their information in a piecemeal fashion from media sources or peers that simply reinforce previously held views.
Still, the 鈥淎merica in One Room鈥� researchers highlight their project鈥檚 value as a measure of public opinion 鈥� revealing Americans鈥� 鈥渃onsidered judgments鈥� following discussion and deliberation, rather than the 鈥渟urface impressions鈥� most polling reflects.
鈥淚t was interesting how many times people agreed at the heart of an issue, but just had slight differences in how to go about making needed changes,鈥� participant Joan Young聽told CNN. "I was very hopeful after seeing the way our small group behaved.鈥�
Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at聽csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.