Bridging America’s Political and Racial Divides
Key Motivators for Building Connections
Peter T. Coleman
How can we possibly get Americans to talk with each other across our differences?
A new study reveals important insights into what motivates Americans to engage in “bridge-building activities” — efforts to connect with people across political and racial divides. Through six comprehensive studies involving over 2,000 participants, researchers uncovered several key findings that could help organizations better mobilize citizens to heal growing divisions.
Here are the most compelling discoveries:
Different Motives Work for Different Divides. The research found that when it comes to bridging political divides, both “prevention” motivations (avoiding negative outcomes) and “promotion” motivations (achieving positive outcomes) were effective at encouraging participation. However, for racial bridge-building, promotion-focused messaging about creating positive change was significantly more effective than prevention-focused messaging about avoiding harm.
Action-Oriented Activities Show Most Promise. The studies revealed that “locomotion” activities — those focused on taking concrete actions together — were more successful at engaging people than “assessment” activities focused on discussion and evaluation of differences. Community-based activities like volunteering together for neighborhood projects proved especially appealing across demographic groups.
Gender and Political Differences Matter. Women consistently demonstrated stronger inclination to participate in bridge-building activities compared to men. Democrats showed higher promotion mindsets and levels of engagement, while Republicans tended to prefer to be more action-oriented. Understanding these demographic differences could help organizations better tailor their approaches.
The Power of Proper Framing. One of the most practical findings was that matching the framing of activities to people’s natural motivational orientations significantly increased willingness to participate. For example, people with “promotion” mindsets were more likely to engage when activities were framed in terms of creating positive outcomes.
Community Activities Unite Best. Across groups, activities focused on bringing people together around shared community interests — like neighborhood cleanups or community gardens — proved most effective at encouraging participation than more politically-focused activities.
The researchers suggest that bridge-building organizations could benefit from assessing participants’ motivational orientations and tailoring their messaging accordingly. They also recommend focusing on promotion-framed community gathering activities if the goal is to broaden participation, especially for racial bridge-building efforts.
Coleman. P. T. & Phan L. H. (2024). What motivates bridge building across pernicious group divides? The effects of regulatory motives, framing, and fit on increasing constructive engagement across political and racial divisions. Front. Soc. Psychol. 2:1352284. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/social-psychology/articles/10.3389/frsps.2024.1352284/full