Modern Talking : On the Democratic Roles of Cross-Cutting Communication in a Polarized World

Sammanfattning: The idea that it is desirable for citizens to engage in communication with fellow citizens who hold differing political views – so-called cross-cutting communication – is widespread in different lines of political thought. There is uncertainty, however, as to whether the colloquial cross-cutting communication found in the everyday life of citizens tends to engender important democratic virtues in practice. If it does, moreover, which are the virtues in question? Or does communication of this kind sooner activate psychological defense mechanisms that foster pa-rochialism and fortify pre-existing biases?The aim of this dissertation is to examine, both theoretically and empirically, the democratic roles played by the cross-cutting communication that takes place in the day-to-day life of ordinary citizens. The empirical part of the dissertation comprises three essays, which study the potential of cross-cutting communication to promote two specific civic virtues: public-minded thinking (Essay I) and inter-group respect (Essays II and III). By utilizing cross-sectional and panel survey data from three different countries – the US, the Netherlands, and Spain – the essays shed light on these relationships in both face-to-face and online venues for political communication.The results of the studies support the notion that cross-cutting communication, whether it occurs offline or online, may indeed help to promote certain important civic virtues. The dissertation furthermore shows that cross-cutting communication may contribute to alleviating two of the most pressing issues in modern society – the climate crisis and escalating intergroup animosity – while at the same time helping to uphold democratic values and practices.