Our Favorite Findings from 2023
Summary: As the year comes to a close, we reflect on the last 12 months, thankful for our colleagues, funders, partners, readers, and those working to support our vision of a future where all Americans have a strong sense of belonging, can work across differences to tackle shared challenges, and believe that what we have in common is stronger than what divides us.
In 2023, we produced 11 reports, gave 50+ presentations, and participated in more than a dozen convenings. We surveyed close to 24,000 US adults to better understand Americans’ views on a variety of topics, from free speech on college campuses to the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War to connecting across difference—and more. Our insights were featured in hundreds of media stories across the country from national outlets such as The Dispatch, Fortune, and The Washington Post to regional outlets such as Colorado Public Radio, The Richmond Times Dispatch, and Dallas Morning News.
Below we present our team’s “Favorite MiC Finding” from the past year along with a recommendation on books, shows and podcasts that provided a mix of inspiration, new perspectives, and entertainment.
Our Favorite Findings
❄️ Ashley Fabrizio, Senior Researcher ❄️
Before October 7, Democrats were significantly more likely to see antisemitism as a problem (73%) than were Republicans (56%) or Independents (63%). After October 7, concerns of antisemitism increased across the political spectrum. Now roughly 8 in 10 Democrats, Republicans, and Independents say it is a problem.
Why: This is my favorite finding of the year because it is encouraging that longstanding, tricky issues of bias and prejudice, as in the case of antisemitism, can quickly change in response to political developments. People across the political spectrum are becoming more aware of antisemitism and its harmful effects.
Recommendation: 📺 My favorite movie watched this year is the classic 1957 film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, with an Academy Award winning performance by Alec Guinness. The moral and political complexity of the film is hard to forget. I have two personal connections to the film: I once rafted down the river where the film was shot in Sri Lanka (falling out of the boat over some rapids!), and I watched the film shortly before my first baby was born, Baby Alec!
❄️ Calista Small, Research Associate ❄️
7 out of 10 Americans agree that we have a responsibility to connect across lines of difference.
💬 Social Connection Across Difference in the US
Why: Knowing this gives me hope that improving intergroup relations in the US is possible.
Recommendation: 📚 Outline by Rachel Cusk.
❄️ Coco Xu, Research Associate ❄️
7 in 10 Americans, including almost 8 in 10 Gen Z, agree that critically examining our history, including our past failures and injustices, is an act of patriotism.
💬 Defusing the History Wars: A Black History Month Report
Why: This statistic shows that despite growing concerns over the younger generation’s views on our country, there is broad support for a nuanced form of reflective patriotism among our youth. More research is urgently needed to understand and humanize the views and relationships with democracy among Gen Z Americans.
Recommendation: 📚 The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk.
❄️ Dan Vallone, U.S. Director ❄️
69% of Americans say they would support their state adopting a “Military History Month” where students are encouraged to learn about the military.
💬 Operation Iraqi Freedom at 20: Americans and the Iraq War
Why: I find this encouraging at a time when we need to have greater connectivity and understanding between the military community and the broader society.
Recommendation: 📚 Bravo Company: An Afghanistan Deployment and Its Aftermath by Ben Kesling.
❄️ Daniel Yudkin, Associate Director ❄️
This year, we found that a simple intervention where people observe another person changing their minds about an issue significantly reduces polarized attitudes.
💬 Overcoming Distrust and Reducing Partisan Animosity - A New Method
Why: This finding is important because it shows how powerful it can be to see people you relate to changing their minds. It helps normalize a behavior that should be more valued in our society.
Recommendation: 📚 I’m currently reading Justice by Michael Sandel. He is a wonderfully clear writer who navigates thorny social issues with depth and clarity.
❄️ Emily Gerdin, Research Fellow ❄️
Prior to the first Republican primary debate, we collected data on Republicans’ attitudes and experiences as we approach the 2024 election. We found that Republican men’s and Republican women’s attitudes differ in a variety of ways, but the finding that stood out for me was that Republican women have less confidence in the Supreme Court than Republican men. Moreover, we found that GOP women’s lower confidence may be related to their feelings about abortion policies and politicians’ focus on them.
💬 Attitudes and Experiences of Republicans in America – Part Two: Ideology and Gender
Why: For me, this finding emphasizes that being Republican is not a monolith (nor is being a Democrat!), and that it is important for policymakers to be aware of the complexity of their constituencies.
Recommendations: 📚 I’m a fan of fantasy and sci fi, and I’m especially a fan of author Brandon Sanderson. This year, he published five novels!! My favorite of this year’s releases is Tress of the Emerald Sea, which is a pirate adventure inspired by a classic, The Princess Bride. So, this is technically two recommendations in one—read Tress and read Princess Bride (even if you’ve already seen the movie, the book is worth a read).
❄️ Fred Duong, Research Fellow ❄️
I’m going to cheat because I have two. First, we leveraged social psychology insights on persuasion to improve perception gap interventions and found the largest partisan animosity reduction that I’ve seen for this kind of intervention. Second, in a large survey of college students, we found they overwhelmingly agree with the values of open-mindedness and dialogue.
💬 Overcoming Distrust and Reducing Partisan Animosity - A New Method
💬 Free Speech and Inclusion: How College Students are Navigating Shifting Speech Norms
Why: Both give me hope for the potential for positive change in the national conversation.
Recommendations: 📺 Reservation Dogs, a three season TV show about indigenous teenagers in Oklahoma that just wrapped up this year. It’s so funny, so poignant, and a striking and refreshing look at people and stories that you just don’t see represented in the media. One of my favorite shows ever.
❄️ Jazmin Kreimer, Senior Development Associate ❄️
94% of college students we interviewed agree that “we should listen to others with an open mind, including those with whom we disagree.”
💬 Free Speech and Inclusion: How College Students are Navigating Shifting Speech Norms
Why: This finding gives me hope that young people see the importance of hearing out those outside of our own bubbles.
Recommendation: 📺 One show I really enjoyed this year was the Netflix limited series Beef. It was a beautifully acted, inventive wild ride of a story that explored rage, loneliness, dreams, faith, and our common humanity. At times scary, funny, and heartbreaking, this show stuck with me and made me think.
❄️ Jordan Wylie, Research Fellow ❄️
This year, we started focusing more on the impact of perceived norms—informal standards that describe typical or desirable behavior—on willingness to connect across lines of difference. So far, we have found that the more people believe others in their community are engaging in such connections (thus perceiving this behavior as more 'normative'), the greater their own interest in doing the same.
💬 Social Connection Across Difference in the US
Why: I love this finding because it suggests a positive feedback loop: as more people engage in across lines of difference and view it as a normative behavior, it encourages others to do the same. This may be a powerful tool for designing interventions to reduce social divides.
Recommendation: 📚 I read Peter Godfrey-Smith's recent book Metazoa this year, and it was just tremendous. The book explores the origins of the mind. It delves into the connections between human and animal consciousness, blending research with vivid anecdotes (there’s a story about a shrimp that will bring you to tears), and offering a profound look at the cognitive experiences of animals, particularly the octopus. It is a truly beautiful journey that is a reminder of the beauty and complexity of life.
❄️ Julia Coffin, Senior Associate ❄️
1 in 4 American adults are interested in playing a role in refugee sponsorships in the next couple of years, meaning more than 50 million Americans are potential sponsors.
Why: In 2023, I had the privilege of facilitating focus groups with volunteer sponsors who helped to resettle Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in communities across the US. While I don’t typically get teary-eyed in such settings, they were some of the most moving conversations of my life. Volunteers spoke passionately about how the experience deepened their faith, strengthened their friendships and community, and challenged preconceived notions about other cultures and religions. As they recounted the joy derived from realizing their ability to make a direct and positive impact on someone's life, I couldn't help but feel a surge of hope amid a year dominated by narratives of the loneliness crisis.
Recommendation: 📚 Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown
❄️ Kate Carney, Chief of Staff ❄️
79 percent of Republican voters agree with the statement, “there are times when I can see both sides of an issue.”
💬 Attitudes and Experiences of Republicans in America – Part One: Identity, Belonging, and Priorities
Why: So often public political commentary involves framing a “right view” against a “wrong view.” Yet many of our most pressing issues are challenging, complex, and nuanced—as well their solutions. Being able to seek understanding—and give space for others to seek understanding for why someone may believe what they believe is critical to overcoming our political animosity. And while our public discourse may not make it seem like we’re capable—our data shows otherwise.
Recommendation: 📚 Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America’s Future by Jean Twenge, PhD. It is a great, comprehensive, easy-to-follow overview of how our own generations impact our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Super insightful and recommend for anyone who is looking to understand more and challenge their perceptions about their fellow Americans across ages.
❄️ Natasha Gordon, Research Fellow ❄️
Our Perception Gap research is incredibly interesting: that Americans from different parties on average hold similar beliefs on political topics--from immigration as a net positive for the country to racism still existing.
Why: While technically not a new finding from 2023, it has been fascinating to learn more about our perception gaps since joining MiC this year. This finding gives me hope that there is a common thread of moral responsibility that Americans feel towards one another. It suggests that political divides are not as strong as some of the foundational values which continue to tie us together as a country.
Recommendation: 🎙One of my all-time favorites podcasts is Hidden Brain. It’s a really well-made show that explains new psychology research in interesting and useful ways. And I’d like to think it’s helping me understand the psych literature a bit more since I am one of the political scientists on the team!
❄️ Paul Oshinki, Research Associate ❄️
In a 2023 survey, we found that close to half of Americans said that they would join a conversation with a fellow American who has a different background or beliefs (49%). This is a statistically significant increase for our baseline attitude on this question (42%) from 2022.
Why: In a time when Americans are feeling the effects of polarization and division, I'm refreshed to know that about half of Americans would be willing to sit down for a conversation with someone who is very different from them. Political division is still prevalent these days, but knowing that many Americans are open to dialogue makes me hopeful our country can better understand and communicate with each other.
Recommendation: 🎤 Not quite fitting into any of these categories, but there’s some great comedy specials coming from Mark Normand, Shane Gillis, and Duncan Trussell.
❄️ Stephen Hawkins, Research Director ❄️
We can reduce the negative feelings that Republicans and Democrats have towards each other back to 1980s levels, when partisans felt neutrally towards each other. This year we learned that the key is to show a video where a fellow Republican or Democrat goes on an authentic ‘journey of persuasion’ where people in the video begin skeptical, see compelling testimony and read statistics about the other side, and then emerge more reassured and encouraged.
💬 Overcoming Distrust and Reducing Partisan Animosity - A New Method
Why: Still proud that this video intervention outperformed the 25 others selected by Stanford’s Strengthening Democracy Challenge.
Recommendation: 🎥 Flowers of the Killer Moon is a masterpiece; Sturgill Simpson and Tyler Childers are bringing some raw, gritty style to challenge the country music genre; and 📚 The Identity Trap by Yascha Mounk is an absolute must read for anyone curious about how the progressive left emerged, what it believes, and why.
We leave 2023 with immense gratitude for everyone who read and shared our research and who partnered with and supported us—and feel especially grateful to the thousands of Americans who trusted us and shared their points of view. Thank you and we look forward to continuing to learn and share our findings with you in 2024 !
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