PDAG supported a research study led by Dr Sayan Banerjee, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Texas Tech University and Dr Anna Petherick, Associate Professor of Public Policy (Politics) at the University of Oxford, examining affective polarisation and the dynamics of trust and distrust in India’s ethnically and socially diverse democracy.

The study investigated how citizens perceive trust, motivation and competence, and how different forms of distrust relate to affective polarisation. It examined variations in polarisation across different social and political identities, including caste, religion, gender and party identity, contributing to a broader understanding of how group identities shape trust, attitudes towards others and perceptions of public institutions.

The research was conducted across selected districts in Bihar and West Bengal, including areas with histories of ethnic and social conflict. Using a conjoint survey experiment, participants were systematically selected from electoral rolls across selected assembly constituencies and polling booths. The experimental design examined attitudes towards different social groups and political candidates and explored whether these attitudes changed in the context of India’s 2024 General Election.

The study contributes to the growing international literature on affective polarisation by bringing evidence from India into a field that has traditionally been dominated by research from the United States and other Western democracies. It seeks to deepen understanding of the relationship between social identity, political affiliation, inter-group trust and citizens’ perceptions of the state in a diverse democratic context.