By: Judith van de Wetering

We seem to live in polarized times: people seem to increasingly disagree and debates seem to intensify. Young people may be particularly vulnerable to polarization, because they are developing their (political) identities and spend much time on social media platforms that amplify polarizing content. But how polarized are youth really? How do youth themselves perceive polarization? And what do they think are solutions?

We address these questions in our new report. Together with our partners, we draw on data from survey studies and brainstorm sessions with youth to understand youths’ lived experiences.

Differences in opinion are not the problem
We find that about half of youth are concerned about polarization. Youth who are more concerned about polarization also feel more concerned about their future and feel less heard. But they are also more politically engaged. Most youth perceive that differences in opinion about societal topics—such as gender, climate change, and migration—are large and becoming larger. Yet, we find little evidence that this is the case. Although youth have diverse opinions, these are typically not polarized: there are also youth with moderate or neutral opinions. And although some groups (e.g., boys versus girls) have polarized opinions on some topics (e.g., gender binarity), this is not the typical pattern.

How we deal with differences in opinion is the problem
Is polarization even a problem, then? Youth say that differences in opinion are not the problem—but how we deal with these is. Youth perceive that people feel increasingly negative toward people with different opinions. They also experience this online: most youth perceive an increase in harsh and extreme opinions on social media. Youth notice that people do not always show respect for or interest in different opinions. They worry that this prevents people from sharing their views and makes them feel misunderstood. So: the problem of polarization may not be that people hold different opinions, but rather that people feel and act negatively toward those with different opinions.

Take action: Youths’ solutions
So how do we solve this and move from polarization to connection? Youth say that they are generally interested in other people’s opinions. When faced with disagreements, they mostly try to better understand the other person and find common ground. But youth also desire good role models and support in learning how to deal with diversity. They want politicians, teachers, and parents to set a good example. For instance, they want politicians to let each other finish when speaking in parliament; they want teachers to organize classes where youth learn to discuss sensitive issues; and they want parents to start the conversation to try to understand what they experience online. We summarize youth’s solutions to polarization in our report.