Trust & Polarization
with Marc Hetherington

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: Launch of Democracy in Troubled Times Initiative  

12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.: Marc Hetherington – Keynote Speaker 

Co-author of Prius or Pickup: How the Answers to Four Simple Questions Explain America’s Great Divide, Marc studies the American electorate, with a particular focus on trust in government and the polarization of public opinion. In the book, two award-winning political scientists provide the psychological key to America's deadlocked politics, showing that we are divided not by ideologies but something deeper: personality differences that appear in everything from politics to parenting to the workplace to TV preferences, which would be innocuous if only we could decouple them from our noxious political debate. 

Marc studies the American electorate, with a particular focus on trust in government and the polarization of public opinion. He has also authored or co-authored of several books over the years, including Why Trust Matters: Declining Political Trust and the Demise of American Liberalism (Princeton University Press, 2005), Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2009) (with Jonathan Weiler), and Why Washington Won’t Work: Polarization, Political Trust, and the Governing Crisis (University of Chicago Press, 2015) (with Thomas J. Rudolph).

1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Breakout Sessions: Can We Talk About Politics?  

These 90-minute sessions will offer a facilitated conversation aimed at understanding the factors that inhibit citizen dialogue about and participation in democratic politics.  

3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Reception and Engagement Opportunities: Mobilize, Organize!  

This reception will feature several student and community organizations working on voter registration, getting out the vote, community organizing, union action, and much more. Come learn how you can get involved!