Why our partisan identities mean we are talking past each other

Deliberation and discussion between people with open minds is the cornerstone of a healthy democratic society. But this ideal seems to be slipping away in the face of increasingly partisan hostility. In new research, Ryan Strickler finds that much of the decline in respect for opposing views is down to people’s identity as members of political groups. Having a strong partisan social identity, he writes, makes people far less likely to listen to counterarguments from the opposing side.