DIGSSCORE Seminar: The Tale of Insurmountable Differences: How Apart Are We Really?

Anna-Luise Schönheit, PhD candidate at the Department of Government at University of Bergen, will present for us today. 

The event is in a hybrid format, you are welcome to join us for lunch from the Corner room at DIGSSCORE. Food is provided on a first-come first-served basis. Zoom link for digital attendance.

Abstract:

Have we really drifted apart or, to make use of a more prevalent term, have Western societies actually become more polarized? Though this notion is regularly circulated, especially in context of cultural issues such as climate change, gender, or immigration, research so far provides us with little evidence on whether this narrative withstands empirical testing. By drawing on preliminary findings of data from the European Social Survey and the European Values Study, this talk instigates a discussion of this question. The presentation especially wants to invite listeners to collectively reflect on the question of what we mean when talking polarization and how this can be methodically translated, for example through distributional measures.