This op-ed is part of The Hill’s “How to Fix America” series exploring solutions to some of America’s most pressing problems.
We often hear that Democrats and Republicans are worlds apart. But what if that perception is the real issue? Even the most thoughtful among us can fall into the habit of assuming the ideals of the other side. Research reveals that this subtle, yet pervasive, belief — not policy differences — is what truly deepens America’s divide.
Put plainly, we tend to assume our political opponents just don’t have any morals. If we start by addressing this quiet misconception, could we begin to close the gap?
Right now, levels of tension between Democrats and Republicans feel higher than ever. Aside from controversy over hot-button issues and polarizing media, other factors contribute to perceived levels of disagreement.
One recent study found that overestimations of the other party’s tolerance for immoral acts contribute to political animosity. In other words, both Democrats and Republicans overestimate how much the other party condones objectively immoral behaviors — such as theft or cheating. From social media searches to polling, results indicate that “morality bias” has permeated popular political perception, and the idea that the other party supports objectively wrong acts contributes to hyperpolarization.
“Dehumanization” of opposing party members is on the rise in the U.S. A search using objectively immoral descriptor words — such as “sociopath,” “felon,” and “murderer” — found that this type of rhetoric has been increasingly used in political conversations on social media. This has spiked even higher since 2016.
Furthermore, the survey sampled Democrats and Republicans and asked them to rank the acceptability of a series of immoral issues (e.g. cheating on a spouse, homicide) and then guess how tolerant they think the other party would be of the same issues. Across all issues, both parties overestimated their opponents’ acceptance of immoral behavior.
Biases disincentivize collaboration and increase political animosity. Inversely, an understanding that opponents condemn basic moral injustices increases the desire for bipartisan collaboration. Conversations correcting the “morality bias” would foster cross-partisan cooperation and make people more likely to want to work across the aisle.
Recent polling from Georgetown University’s McCourt School supported by American Policy Ventures found that most voters want representatives who are willing to work across the aisle to get things done. The results showed that voters support lawmakers compromising on many divisive issues — such as inflation, immigration and health care reform — in the name of finding the best solution, as opposed to fighting for their values even if it means a conclusion is never reached.
Perhaps misestimations of the other party’s morality are part of what stalls cross-party progress. It certainly won’t solve all current issues with hyperpolarization, but working to correct the morality bias could be a good place to start.
At the very least, an awareness that bias exists at all could help combat the dehumanization of political figures, as voters realize that just because another party disagrees on certain policy issues does not mean that they condone moral wrongdoings. Interestingly, this study shows that bridging the hyper-partisan divide may begin with something as simple as acknowledging the humanity in our fellow Americans.
Liam deClive-Lowe is the co-founder of American Policy Ventures, an organization that builds projects to help policy makers collaborate and get things done.
