🎓 Seminar – Understanding Political Social Distance in European Democracies | Siena, Italy | October 28, 2025 🇮🇹
Aula Seminario, Plesso Mattioli (2nd floor)
🕓 Tuesday, 28 October 2025 | 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Speakers: Marco Improta & Elisabetta Mannoni, University of Siena
What happens to democratic life when citizens feel uneasy around those who support opposing political parties?
This seminar delves into the concept of political social distance — the willingness to accept political opponents as friends, colleagues, neighbours, or even family members — and how it shapes democratic coexistence across Europe.
📊 Drawing on original survey data from eight European democracies, the speakers will present key findings:
– Higher levels of social trust reduce distance toward political out-groups
– Left-leaning respondents tend to show greater political distance than right-leaning ones
– Strong commitment to democracy can paradoxically increase exclusion of political opponents — a pattern described as “democratic exclusivism”
These insights shed light on both the social foundations essential for peaceful democratic coexistence and the attitudinal mechanisms that may gradually erode them.
🧩 The seminar is organised by CIRCaP and contributes to ongoing discussions on democracy, polarisation, and civic engagement across Europe.
📍 Location: University of Siena, Italy
📅 Date: October 28, 2025
🤝 Partner: University of Siena (UNISI)
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