• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
Affective Polarization and Democratic Backsliding
Research

Affective Polarization and Democratic Backsliding

Evidence is strong that affective polarization and democratic backsliding are interlinked phenomena.

Link Copied
By Jennifer McCoy and Murat Somer
Published on Oct 26, 2024
Program mobile hero image

Program

Democracy, Conflict, and Governance

The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and governance. It analyzes and seeks to improve international efforts to reduce democratic backsliding, mitigate conflict and violence, overcome political polarization, promote gender equality, and advance pro-democratic uses of new technologies.

Learn More
Read the Publication

About the Authors

Jennifer McCoy

Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Jennifer McCoy is a nonresident scholar in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, where she focuses on political polarization and democratic resilience in the U.S. and around the world.

Murat Somer

Murat Somer is a professor of political science at Koç University in Istanbul and an expert on political polarization, religious and secular politics, ethnic conflict, autocratization, and democratization in Turkey and around the world.

Authors

Jennifer McCoy
Nonresident Scholar, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Jennifer McCoy
Murat Somer

Murat Somer is a professor of political science at Koç University in Istanbul and an expert on political polarization, religious and secular politics, ethnic conflict, autocratization, and democratization in Turkey and around the world.

Murat Somer
Democracy

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Serbia election student list vucic
    Article
    Serbia Still Has a Steep Hill to Climb

    After two years of mass protests, Serbia’s student-led movement has ousted Aleksandar Vučić. Now the Student List must prove it can deliver on its promises.

      Dimitar Bechev

  • Capitol building from below
    Commentary
    Emissary
    What the New Democratic Congress Can (and Can’t) Do on Foreign Policy

    Democrats now have the gavel and the purse, but the executive branch still pulls the levers on the U.S. role in the world.

      • +10

      James M. Acton, Dan Baer, Mark Baldassare, …

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Is Russia Winning the Perception War in Germany?

    In Germany, competing perceptions of Russia are highlighting a tension between public opinion and government policy. In the country’s east, where division is widespread, populist parties are taking advantage.

      • Gwendolyn Sasse

      Gwendolyn Sasse

  • US Capitol building with a evening sky
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Three Ways the New Democratic Congress Could Constrain Trump on Foreign Policy

    How Capitol Hill might reassert checks on the executive branch.

      • Jennifer Hendrixson White

      Jennifer Hendrixson White

  • Article
    Nuclear Deterrence Needs to Account for Domestic Politics

    Individual leaders and public attitudes—especially in democracies—matter for credibility.

      • A white man with short dark hair and a goatee wears a gray suit

      Lauren Sukin, Samuel Seitz

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie This Week
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie This Week
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.