Ph.d.-Profil: Anna-Luise Schönheit

In Western societies, there is increasing talk of hardened divisions and the difficulty of reaching consensus. Some observers even question whether social cohesion is still possible. Examples of this development include the U.S. and Germany, but similar apprehensions are also voiced in Norway. Within this context, research provides us with a plethora of empirical studies investigating opinion radicalization on individual issues. However, some scholars argue that the coherence of opinions across different issues is at least as threatening to social cohesion, if not more so. Turning to the examination of this aspect appears particularly relevant against the backdrop of the recurring accusation of a general lack of opinion diversity, a reproach particularly evident in light of the climate change issue but also present in other debates on recent issues such as gender rights, migration, or the Russia-Ukraine war.

Against this background, this PhD project aims to examine whether opinion alignment contributes to the often-invoked rift that is said to run through Western societies, with particular emphasis being placed on what is portrayed as the most pressing and overarching problem of our time: climate change. Including the case of Norway, the project in particular investigates (i) if positions on climate change are perceived as cues for views on gender rights, migration, and the Russia-Ukraine war, (ii) whether differences in positions on climate change account for disagreements on these other recently salient issues, and (iii) how alignment among positions on climate change, gender rights, migration, and the Russia-Ukraine war affect social interaction.