Toward an integrated and globally equitable understanding of political polarization.

Abstract

Political polarization poses major societal risks, yet a globally relevant, interdisciplinary understanding remains lacking, as nearly half of all studies focus on the United States. We argue for renewed effort to bring global equity to polarization research, highlighting insights robust across countries, those unique to specific contexts, and key literature gaps. Closing these gaps means overcoming cultural and systemic barriers, including data-access restrictions and misaligned incentives. It also demands interdisciplinarity bridging traditional approaches and those addressing the polarizing role of the internet, social media, and AI. Otherwise, efforts to counter polarization, and its democratic harms, risk resting on unsuitable evidence.