Affektive Polarisierung und Verteilung­sentscheidungen

What happens when people have to decide how to allocate resources? Researchers Felix Hormig and Cyrill Otteni investigated this question by analyzing a behavioral economics experiment involving over 33,000 participants in eight European countries as part of the Dresden Polarization Barometer. Using a “dictator game,” they measured how much fictional money participants allocated to strangers whose profiles differed in terms of political and social characteristics. The result is clear: Political beliefs—not age, gender, or background—are the strongest driver of affective polarization in Europe. Migration is the biggest source of polarization, while in Germany, climate protection is the second major source of conflict.

Particularly revealing: Affective polarization is driven less by affection for one’s own group than by rejection of those with differing views—with potential consequences for social cohesion that extend far beyond the voting booth.

Available at: https://forum-midem.de/affektive-polarisierung-und-verteilungsentscheidungen/