Unity in diversity? Exploring the effect of polarisation on social cohesion in Europe

It is often argued that we live in an age of anger (Mishra, 2017), where ‘rational’ societal divisions have been replaced by ‘emotional’ polarisation dynamics: strong negative emotions towards the outgroup dictate societal reality. Such polarisation has affected many – if not all – European democracies, and it is theoretically claimed to have a negative impact on social cohesion. Empirically, however, little is known about the relationship between polarisation and social cohesion. The overarching research question of this project is therefore: what – if any – is the effect of polarisation on social cohesion? In order to answer this question, we adopt a sequential mixed-methods design which combines a large-N analysis of European Social Surveys over time (2002-2019) in 22 countries, with focus-groups in four countries. In doing so, this project breaks new ground by offering a more in-depth understanding of the link between polarisation and social cohesion.