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Stanford University conducted a comprehensive mega study to identify effective methods to strengthen Americans' democratic attitudes in a deeply polarized political climate. In partnership with YOUnify, CommonAlly deployed its innovative methodology and chatbot technology.
This case study delves into:
Deploy ChatBot conversational technology to intervene in widespread misperceptions about policy positions across the political spectrum, reveal consensus on key issues among Americans, and reduce partisan animosity.
Participants completed the survey, reflecting high engagement and interest.
Overall effectiveness in the mega study, with an original p-value of 0.001.
Percentage of Americans agreeing on various issues, as revealed through ChatBot conversations.
Support Stanford University's mega study to identify interventions to bolster democratic attitudes among Americans.
The study engaged 35,252 participants, with 31,835 completing the survey, reflecting high engagement and interest.
The Common Ground Discovery Chatbot Quiz was designed to challenge perceptions on issues such as gun control, immigration, and climate change.
The Common Ground Discovery Chatbot significantly reduced partisan animosity. Stanford ranked it 16th for its effectiveness, with an original p-value of 0.001 (unlikely that the observed differences are due to chance), highlighting its role in mitigating partisan divides.
The intervention adjusted participants' misperceptions, revealing greater bipartisan agreement than commonly perceived. This helped diminish partisan animosity and underscored CommonAlly's essential contribution to the study.
Reflecting a strong public interest in uncovering bipartisan commonalities, CommonAlly successfully facilitated engagement by delivering factual information through ChatBot engagement. ChatBot engagement is an effective tool for providing insights and fostering democratic attitudes.
This study seeks to fill in the knowledge gaps on depolarization interventions. However, the study has its limitations. At times, the target quotas for demographics fell short, including the percentage of participants who were high school graduates or had no high school degree, as well as the percentage of “leaners” when it came to the strength of partisan identity. Otherwise, most targets were met. Also, the durability test produced low retention rates, meaning the preregistered analyses suffered from low power.
CommonAlly's innovative approach significantly contributed to Stanford University's megastudy. Our approach helped identify and validate effective interventions for strengthening democratic attitudes in a polarized society.
CommonAlly played a pivotal role in reducing partisan animosity and enhancing Americans' democratic engagement. By leveraging a chatbot quiz to correct policy misperceptions, CommonAlly helped prove the need for factual education and discovered common ground in political discourse.
Stanford University's Robb Willer joins Morning Joe to discuss a new study on reducing toxic polarization and reducing Americans' anti-democratic attitudes.
