Whitepaper: A Pandemic of Polarisation

With the war in Ukraine, we would almost forget that Europe was experiencing another calamity until very recently. However, the social effects of the pandemic should not be underestimated. COVID-19 has highlighted existing polarisation across the continent and beyond, illustrated by conspiracy theories and division between those who are and are not vaccinated.

This polarisation is visible beyond the pandemic as well. For instance, consider the recent presidential elections
in France. Or think about how these times of war have clearly shown that religion is an integral part of
modern polarisation.

This whitepaper is based on the outcomes of a virtual round table meeting on the topic of polarisation. Participants to the round table included Ron van Wonderen (Verwey-Jonker Institute), Prof. Jessica Roitman (VU Amsterdam), Dr. Mariken van der Velden (VU Amsterdam), and Prof. dr. Matthias Smalbrugge (VU Amsterdam). Download the free whitepaper below.