Month: October 2022

Katelyn Moody

Three Ways to Stop Taking Polarization to the Extreme

In his recent study, Ethan Busby, assistant professor of political science at Brigham Young University, uncovered a slew of stereotypes surrounding political parties. 

When asked to describe individuals from a specific party, people were quick to identify hobbies, religions, races, traits, and viewpoints that those individuals would be associated with. These results made it apparent that Americans often place people in a box once they know which political party they affiliate with.

“There is space for us to be polarized in some ways while agreeing that democracy is something that we want,” says Busby, “ that is something we [as researchers] are still exploring; what kinds of partisan polarization are democratically bad? It’s more complex than just saying all polarization is bad all the time.”

Busby shares three ways to look beyond partisan stereotypes and work towards reducing extreme polarization.

1) View those who are ideologically different in terms of politics rather than as genetically different.

“People tend to become more polarized when they think of the parties as their own intrinsic group — not just in what they believe, but who they are and what things define them,” says Busby. It is these types of distinctions that create gaps between us.

Pretending that all people are the same is not the solution. Instead, we should acknowledge that the political parties differ in terms of ideals. Busby reasons, “If we care about reducing polarization we ought to focus on getting people to acknowledge differences between themselves and to think of those differences in terms of politics [rather than] as a group of terrible people who are fundamentally, almost genetically, different. That kind of thinking promotes less polarization.” 

2) Use social media as an opportunity to connect with people who are different from you rather than to reinforce your own opinions.

With the rise of social media, political extremes can seem prominent. However, while most people are enmeshed in social media, Busby is hesitant to blame social media for upward trends in polarization. “People have been polarized before social media and will be polarized long after we move on to something different. And so I do not think it is the source.”

According to the Digital 2021 Report, there are 4.2 billion active social media users around the globe. The majority of those users are online to follow the news or be entertained. Busby highlights that “what is most harmful about social media is it gives us a distorted picture of what people are like. Not everybody talks about politics, and the only people who are talking about politics on social media tend to be people who are strongly motivated by what they think. Most people are not going along with political diatribes on social media.”

The people we tend to follow on social media are ideologically similar to us. “We live in very homogeneous groups,” says Busby, “but we could use social media to connect with people who are very different from us.” Social media can be a tool for us to understand people who value different things than us, especially in politics. Ultimately, it is up to each individual to decide whether or not they want to take his recommendation to invest in understanding those around them who are different.

3) Acknowledge that sometimes we do not understand each other well and work towards greater understanding.

Busby stresses the need to take the time to understand those who are politically different from us. 

We must see them first as human beings and second as individuals who are motivated by different political issues. 

Busby expresses, “I might not agree with them on those issues, I might think that they are fundamentally wrong on those issues. But they are not categorically different kinds of people. You do not have to agree with someone to make them feel like you’ve heard them.” 

Active listening fosters trust and leads to conflict resolution. “If we can feel like other people understand us, then we understand them. We make progress together and handle conflict better.”

About our university campus, Busby shared, “I want BYU to be a beloved community. We should be committed to it. It starts with acknowledging that sometimes we don’t understand each other well. We must be willing to admit that and take the simple step of trying to listen to people before we talk to them, especially in groups that we don’t hear from as much as we should. Try to find ways to listen to people who are not being listened to.”

Learn more about the BYU Political Science program.

Dr. Busby studies political psychology and specializes in extremism, public opinion, racial and ethnic politics, and quantitative methods. He recently published two books with Cambridge University Press: “The Partisan Next Door: Stereotypes of Party Supporters and Consequences for Polarization in America” and “Should You Stay Away from Strangers?: Experiments on the Political Consequences of Intergroup Contact.” Busby earned a Ph.D. in political science from Northwestern University and spent two years as an assistant professor at Clemson University. In 2020, he returned to teach at the alma mater of his undergraduate education and the institution he’s had a lifelong relationship with — his father Dean Busby is a professor in the BYU School of Family Life and now his wife Andrea Kinghorn Busby has joined that department as an assistant professor. In his free time, Busby enjoys grilling and smoking meat, listening to audiobooks, singing with his wife in a gospel choir, walking his dog, and biking.

Katelyn Moody

Thinking About Where Water is Applied Might Help Reduce Impacts of the Megadrought

About 50% of irrigation water is wasted according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And with the West being in the midst of a megadrought, this is obviously a concern.

Smart sprinklers which adapt applications to local weather conditions can be part of the solution, but spatial analysis of soil water patterns and grass health hold the key to reducing wasted irrigation water. Despite what most think, applying more water is not always the solution to poor grass health. Says Dr. Kerry, a BYU geography professor, “We generally think; ‘oh, the grass is looking dead, put water on it,’ and that’s not always the solution. Our analysis helps us say; ‘this spot needs more water, but in another place, you may need to apply some fertilizer, or you may need to aerate.’”

Along with her colleagues and students, Dr. Kerry has been involved in research examining patterns in soil moisture and grass health on-campus fields to determine ways Utahns can more effectively use water and combat the ongoing megadrought.

Over the course of a year, Dr. Kerry and her students surveyed fields with moisture probes, electrical conductivity meters, and drones to map the water content and the health of the grass. The results were somewhat unexpected in places. “These surveys are helping us understand what factors are causing the dead grass in different places. Soils are not always wettest at the bottom of slopes and; there are places where there is too much water and grass health is poor.”

She further shared, “We are using spatial analysis to determine optimal irrigation zones and have installed sensors in these zones to tell us about the timing of the irrigation and how much water is needed for individual irrigation events.”

Dr. Kerry concludes, “If you are going to apply water efficiently, you need to know how your field varies spatially. You can determine spatial patterns quite inexpensively.” Her research has shown that simple/inexpensive measures of soil moisture can indicate spatial patterns. She suggests that homeowners with grass take simple measures like touching the ground and mapping out where it feels wet or dry; “That can give you a good indication of where to water or not.”

Dr. Ruth Kerry grew up in the United Kingdom, where she completed her studies, including a Ph.D. in precision agriculture from the University of Reading in 2004. She specializes in soil spatial analysis and land evaluation, and precision agriculture. She was previously an affiliate assistant professor at Auburn University. She and her husband are the parents of five children with her oldest just starting at BYU.

Katelyn Moody

Sociology Student Hopes to Curb Housing Inequality

When asked what advice he’d give to prospective sociology students, Luke Sanchez, a junior in sociology from Detroit, says, “Be ready to have your understanding of things flipped on its head…Because you learn so many new things, it can be a challenge to your own worldviews. Knowing that ahead of time is useful because it is a journey. You’ll definitely learn as you go and you’ll be able to figure out what you are passionate about.”

And Luke’s BYU experience perfectly illustrates his point. Sanchez began his BYU journey with the aim of becoming a businessman. However, he diverged from his original course and soon found his passion in sociology. After immersing himself in the program, he has gained invaluable skills that he would not have learned otherwise.

One of the skills is a greater understanding of research. “Every day, we read or hear news headlines and have so much data thrown at us. The two research classes I have taken helped me understand what I can trust, what I can’t trust, what needs to be looked into more, and how I can learn the truth.”

Along with this understanding, Sanchez has developed an appreciation for people from all walks of life. “I have learned about people that live differently, think differently, and have different experiences than I do. Recognizing when I don’t know certain things and how to approach those situations so that I can learn has helped me create new relationships, better existing relationships, and understand more about myself.”

While completing his degree, Sanchez enjoys working as a member of the Diversity, Collaboration, and Inclusion committee for the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences and serving as an officer for the Anti-Racism Club. ”One project I’ve been working on will help students more easily find the resources they need on campus and in the community whenever they need help for a huge variety of issues,” says Sanchez. 

Upon graduation, Sanchez plans to acquire a real estate investment company or start his own. He says, “I think my long-term goal is to be able to focus on the real estate industry. So many inequalities stem from real estate here in the United States, and I want to be able to make an impact.”

Luke strives to contribute to building a beloved community at BYU. He says, “To me, a beloved community is a community of learning. We can live with people who are different and love them because we know them. We can have personal connections with people who are different and not let those differences push us apart. Here on campus specifically, I think that means we want to be proximate with everybody; we are proximate with people who are similar and people who are different.”

Learn more about sociology and get involved with Belonging in the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences today.