Polarization from the perspective of ambivalents: Feeling caught in the social crossfire of the U.S. abortion debate

In polarized societal debates, it is often assumed that perceiving polarization leads individuals to take sides (e.g., “pro-life” or “pro-choice”). However, perceiving polarization can also make individuals ambivalent because they feel “caught in the social crossfire” of the debate. We conducted a survey study (N_total = 863 women) on ambivalents’ perspectives of the U.S. abortion debate. Findings supported the hypothesis that ambivalents’ perceived polarization related positively to their felt ambivalence. This relationship can be explained by their feeling of being “caught in the social crossfire”: they feel torn while also understanding both sides of the debate. Moreover, felt ambivalence was positively related to tendencies toward avoidance of the debate but also toward conciliatory efforts (e.g., to create mutual understanding between the groups). We discuss the implications of these findings for the relationship between perceived polarization and felt ambivalence among ambivalents.