Polarization

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy’s latest Vanderbilt Unity Index shows the country continuing its trend toward more polarization, ending 2023 down nearly three points from the start of the year. Read More

In a reaffirmation of its commitment to free expression, Vanderbilt University today launched Dialogue Vanderbilt. The initiative aims to provide a range of programs to students, faculty and the broader community to promote civil discourse and better understand and address political polarization. Read More

Americans’ general faith and trust in democracy has stabilized in the first half of 2022, remaining relatively flat through the second quarter, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Index. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is launching a series of conversations and interviews this summer featuring experts on the important issues facing America today. Guests include New York Times national political correspondent Jonathan Martin, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Yuval Levin, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and more. Read More

Robert Talisse, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy, will discuss and sign copies of his new book, Overdoing Democracy: Why We Must Put Politics in its Place, at Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt on Thursday, Nov. 21, at 7 p.m. Read More

Too many safe seats, partisan voters and "wave" elections all influence how polarized a legislature is. Read More

Many of Donald Trump’s supporters share a view of the world as a chaotic, threatening place that is changing too rapidly, says a political scientist at Vanderbilt University, and this authoritarian outlook may be what’s drawing them to the strong rhetoric of Trump. Read More

When Latinos hear tough talk about immigrants and immigration from politicians, their level of political trust is reduced and they start identifying more with their ethnic group than other qualities such as class or religion. Read More

By obstructing most legislation President Obama sends its way, Congress has weakened rather than exercised its power, says a Vanderbilt University political expert. Read More

Bad feelings about each other rather than competing ideologies keep Republicans and Democrats from encouraging their representatives to compromise and get things done, say the authors of a new book about why Washington won’t work. Read More

President Obama is set to talk to the nation on Jan. 12 for his final State of the Union address. Vanderbilt has an array of experts available. Read More

New research by postdoctoral fellow Kaitlin Toner suggests liberals and conservatives are about equally convinced of the correctness of their views, but extremists are more likely than moderates to feel their views are superior. Read More

The machinery that builds the characteristic shape of epithelial cells suppresses breast cancer formation and metastasis in a mouse model. Read More

If you think that the word ‘compromise’ is a lost art in Congress, you are right. Marc Hetherington, professor of politcial science and co-author of the book Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics, tells us why our political leaders are digging in their heels. View 2012 election expertise information… Read More