Associations between inclusivity norms and tolerance, contact, and cooperation amid polarization: Evidence from 12 European countries
Abstract Sharp disagreements about social issues have raised concerns about increasing societal polarization in democracies worldwide. While diversity of opinion is vital for democratic engagement and can promote innovative solutions, social science research shows that such disagreements can undermine social cohesion and erode social trust if they turn into identity-based conflicts. The present research examines the potential importance of social norms that promote equality-based respect, dialogue, and unity (inclusivity norms) in mitigating these negative outcomes. In a pre-registered, large-scale survey of 12,041 individuals in twelve European countries, we find that perceived inclusivity norms are associated with increased tolerance, greater willingness to collaborate, and lower tendencies to avoid people who hold opposing opinions. In most countries studied, this pattern holds among respondents who strongly disapprove of the opposing viewpoint, endorse anti-pluralist opinions, hold anti-egalitarian preferences, and identify more strongly with their opinion-based group relative to society. These findings support the potential of inclusivity norms to preserve social trust and cohesion amid opinion diversity.
Authors
- Katerina Petkanopoulou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0439-8987)
- Eva Jaspers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8589-5899)
- Maor Shani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5301-5332)
- Nicole Tausch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9471-0673)
- Maria‐Therese Friehs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5897-8226)
- Francesca Prati (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3639-8631)
- Alejandro Ciordia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6586-924X)
- Maarten van Zalk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0185-8805)
- Mikael Hjerm (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4203-5394)
- Anna Potoczek (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3293-249X)
- Sarina J. Schäfer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1159-111X)
- Dominika Gurbisz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9691-1524)
- Miranda J. Lubbers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8398-6044)
- Lynn Schäfer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6617-4199)
- Anna Kende (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5148-0145)
- Wilma Marie Middendorf
- Oliver Christ (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4022-9278)
- Jan-Willem Simons
- Chloé Lavest (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2725-6193)
- Jil Ullenboom
- Inga Jasinskaja-Lahti
- Sylvie Graf
- Lucía Estevan-Reina
- Marcin Bukowski
Institutions
- Eötvös Loránd University (HU)
- St. Andrews University (US)
- FernUniversität in Hagen (DE)
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES)
- Jagiellonian University (PL)
- University of Helsinki (FI)
- University of St Andrews (GB)
- Osnabrück University (DE)
- Universidad de Granada (ES)
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Maastricht University (NL)
- GNA University (IN)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Physics of Materials (CZ)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Archaeology, Brno (CZ)
- Hochschule Osnabrück (DE)
- Crete University Press (GR)
- Umeå University (SE)
- University of Bologna (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- PNAS Nexus
- Published
- 2026-03-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgag087
- Primary Topic
- Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00