How can we shape political communication and deliberation that deepen understanding, promote open-mindedness, and bridge divides?  
 
A new study in the British Journal of Political Science, co-authored by Univ.- Prof. Bernhard Kittel revealed that in highly polarised situations, open communication is the only way of getting through to people. 
 
Unlike debate-style conversations or efforts to find immediate common ground, open communication focuses on asking questions and encouraging reflection. Today, we are witnessing declining levels of argumentative complexity and people listening to different sides of an argument, often leading to heated discussions and a growing polarisation of opinions. Yet even minimal interventions, such as open-ended questions, can foster reflection and constructive dialogue under such polarised conditions. 
 
Drawing on two large-scale survey experiments in Germany and Austria with more than 4,000 participants, the researchers found:  

• In highly polarised contexts, confrontational or persuasive communication is counterproductive.
• Even minimal interventions, such as open-ended questions can foster reflection and constructive dialogue.
• Exposure to information alone can reduce polarisation when initial divides are less extreme  

These findings also shed light on how to engage with people holding extreme conspiratorial views. The researchers observed that among individuals with strong conspiratorial views, open questioning was the only form of communication that had even a small depolarising effect, helping to spark more productive conversations.

Study: S. Stocker, A. Bächtiger, B. Kittel, M. Steenbergen. Deepening, Bridging, and Moving Minds in Stressful Times. British Journal of Political Science. Vol. 55. 2025. doi:10.1017/S0007123425100562