Migration and climate change are more polarizing than other issues in society, according to a new study. In other words, when it comes to migration and climate change, people often run into each other emotionally. It is said that this would apply more to the political left than to the right.
For them, climate change is particularly polarizing, namely for those for whom the political measures to counter it do not go far enough. “However, when it comes to immigration, people who are politically right are more emotionally polarized,” staff at the Mercator Forum Migration and Democracy (MIDEM) research center at the Technical University of Dresden said Tuesday. Immigration has the greatest potential to divide society. The research team understands affective polarization as people rejecting each other on important socio-political issues.
People in the Netherlands are little divided
This is particularly visible in Italy, ahead of Greece and Hungary. In the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, on the other hand, there is the least amount of mutual emotional rejection. The study is based on a survey in ten EU Member States, involving approximately 20,000 people. Questions were asked about the war in Ukraine, the corona pandemic, climate change and social benefits, among other things. Feelings towards people who think differently were also discussed.
The people in the Czech Republic in particular are critical of the support to Ukraine. Another aspect was “dealing with sexual minorities” such as homosexuals and transsexuals. According to the research, this is especially polarizing in Italy – where stricter laws for surrogacy etc. are planned -, Spain and Greece. This is more common in women than in men.
Source: Krone
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