Research

The problem is not just disagreement

Disagreement is normal in a free country. The bigger problem is what researchers call affective polarization: disliking or distrusting people just because they're on the other side. You can disagree strongly with someone's ideas and still respect them as a person.

Does it work?

A large 2024 study tested 25 different ways to reduce partisan hostility with more than 32,000 people. Several short activities lowered hostility toward the other side, and some effects were still measurable two weeks later (Cornell Chronicle summary of the Strengthening Democracy Challenge).

Braver Angels also commissions outside researchers to study its own workshops. You can read those reports on the Braver Angels evaluation page.

Evidence note: the 2024 megastudy is a peer-reviewed, randomized experiment. Organization-commissioned evaluations are useful but are not independent in the same way. We label each source so you can judge for yourself.