Affective Polarization (AP) – the mutual dislike of political or politicized groups – is increasingly viewed as a major challenge to social cohesion in democratic societies. While much research has focused on partisan divides in two-party systems, AP in multi-party contexts, such as in Europe, is less well understood. This panel aims to explore AP as a group dynamic, paying particular attention to how in-group favoritism and out-group animosity evolve in response to a variety of factors such as everyday encounters, social environments, and public discourses.

We welcome contributions from a range of disciplines – including political science, psychology, sociology, and communication – as well as from transdisciplinary backgrounds to help clarify how AP arises, unfolds and can be reduced in contemporary democracies. Specifically, contributions may focus on analyses of (1) regional or longitudinal developments of AP within multi-party systems; (2) situational and contextual factors affecting group dynamics in political conflicts (e.g., framing of contested issues, exposure to alternative viewpoints or local norms, network structures); (3) strategies to cope with AP, including interventions based on contact, perspective-taking, or targeted information campaigns. This includes research that has been translated into practice, and the conditions under which they foster cohesion.The panel contributions will be integrated and discussed by Prof. Christian von Scheve, co-leader of the Einstein Research Unit “Coping with Affective Polarization.”

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