Reducing Opinion Polarization: Effects of Exposure to Similar People With Differing Political Views
By Stefano Balietti, Lise Getoor, Daniel G. Goldstein, and Duncan J. Watts
11 pages… feeling close to the match is associated with an 86% increase in the probability of assimilation of political views. Our analysis also uncovers an asymmetry: Interacting with someone with opposite views greatly reduced feelings of closeness; however, interacting with someone with consistent views only moderately increased them.