REPORT SUMMARY
This report is part of a series commissioned by the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York. The series benchmarks the impact that polarization is having on local communities over time, identifies local solutions to the challenges of polarization, and investigates scalability of these solutions to other communities.
Based on a September 2025 national survey and interviews of local government leaders, this report benchmarks how perceptions of polarization have evolved since the last survey and homes in on scalable solutions, with an assessment of how to best leverage partnerships with local public institutions and further investigation into digital resident engagement and youth civics programming beyond the traditional classroom setting.
Media inquiries can be sent to Nathan Lee, Managing Director, at nathanlee@civicpulse.org. Requests for the data associated with this report can be completed through civicpulse.org/data-request. Any other questions can be directed to info@civicpulse.org.