NewsWire: 11/16/21
- Out of 17 countries surveyed, the U.S. was the most likely to say that there is conflict between different political and ethnic groups. We’re also second only to France in believing that people do not agree on basic facts. (Pew Research Center)
- NH: In recent NewsWires, we've often examined Americans' deepening political polarization. (See “Covid-19 Reveals Deep and Familiar Divides,” “Democracy in Dark Times” and “Growing Share of Voters Say Violence May Be ‘Justified.’”) A recent Pew survey adds fuel to the fire.
- Pew polled 17 advanced economies about their perceptions of levels of conflict between groups. The U.S. ranks highest in the share of the public saying that there is “strong” or “very strong” racial or ethnic conflict (71%) and ties for highest with South Korea in the share of people who see conflict between those who support different political parties (90%). The overall median for these questions is about 50%. What’s more, fully 71% of those who see conflict between the political parties characterize it as “very strong.”
- South Korea is the most likely to see conflict between those who practice different religions (61%), and France the most likely to see conflict between those who live in cities and rural areas (45%). But in both cases, the U.S. isn’t that far behind at 49% and 42%.
- The U.S. is also joined by only four countries (all of them in Europe) where a majority believes that people do not disagree simply over policies, but also over basic facts. However, it’s not #1. That would be France (at 61%, vs. 59% for the U.S.). France and South Korea are the only two countries to score higher than the U.S. on any of these questions, with the three standing out as the most divided countries overall. The least divided countries are Singapore (which reports low levels of conflict across the board), Taiwan, and Spain.
- What's behind the high levels of conflict in South Korea and France? South Korea has a large Christian (mostly Protestant) minority, which makes up around 30% of the population. And like in the U.S., Christianity in South Korea has become increasingly politicized, with leaders embracing conservative values and flouting the liberal government's Covid-19 restrictions. Tensions have risen as hardline church leaders have continued to host services during the pandemic and teamed up with right-wing lawmakers for anti-government rallies.
- In France, politics and religion don't mix. The country is famously secular. Instead, politics tends to align with class and geography, with working-class and rural voters favoring National Rally's Marine Le Pen and white-collar and urban voters favoring centrist parties. The religious conflict is not between people of differing political beliefs, but between the secular establishment and France's growing Muslim population.
- Pew also asked respondents for their views about diversity. Across most of the 17 countries, majorities say that having people of many different backgrounds makes their society a better place to live. The U.S. is among the most accepting, with 86% saying that diversity makes their country better off. That's higher than any of the countries polled in Europe or southeast Asia (except for Singapore). Greece and Japan stand out for how negatively they view diversity, with majorities saying it makes society worse. Had Pew polled any other countries in eastern Europe, they surely would have gotten even more negative responses (see "Why Eastern Europe Rejects Immigration").
- The results highlight an apparent paradox. While the U.S. is one of the most pro-diversity countries, it also ranks the highest in conflict between people of different backgrounds. Other countries are less (and sometimes much less) favorable to diversity, but they see a lot less conflict. Why?
- The American dynamic calls to mind Robert D. Putnam's widely discussed 2007 research findings on the consequences of immigration. Putnam concluded that in the short- and medium-term, increased ethnic diversity (by region and neighborhood) tends to erode social solidarity and lower social trust. Putnam's findings were recently corroborated by a 2020 research meta-analysis. Only in the long run, these scholars argue, do diverse and high-immigrant societies overcome these challenges by creating new and more expansive forms of solidarity.
- The problem for societies like America, then, is making it through the short- and medium-term and arriving at the long-term. And that may be hard to do when political identities become ever more partisan and tribal--and end up driving us away from a common national identity, regardless of our basically tolerant outlook.
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