Evaluating an In-Person Depolarization Program and Testing a Light-Touch Enhancement
Mark J. Brandt, Jerad MoreyAbstract: We evaluated whether an in-person, multihour conversation intervention reduced animosity toward people with different (political) attitudes. We also experimentally tested whether stacking a brief video intervention highlighting sympathetic narratives onto the intensive intervention boosted its ability to reduce animosity. Across events ( N = 209, Events k = 10), participants reported less animosity and more empathy following the events compared to before, suggesting the intervention is effective. Different than preregistered, this effectiveness was not significantly affected by the light-touch video treatment. The program improved intergroup relations, but we did not boost the intensive treatment's effects with the addition of a light-touch video treatment.