Polarization

Overview & Synopsis

Developments across multiple countries and regions in the past decades have underlined the extraordinary significance of the phenomenon of polarization, also with regard to a diminished social coherence and trust, democratic quality, and governability. This entry provides an overview of the different types, drivers, and locales of polarization, and it highlights major findings and debates in the literature. It focuses in particular on affective polarization that is understood to be the main force behind the current serious challenges to the workings and legitimacy of liberal democracies. Both when reviewing the thriving conceptual and empirical scholarship on (affective) polarization as well as when subsequently presenting major strands of research into its sources and conducive conditions, a specific focus will be on the media environment and on forms and effects of political communication.