Research seminar Conservatives in conversations A focus-group study on polarization, cultural backlash, and pluralistic ignorance in political talk Add to calendar 2026-05-25 16:30 2026-05-25 18:00 Europe/Rome Conservatives in conversations Emeroteca Badia Fiesolana YYYY-MM-DD Print Share: Share on Facebook Share on BlueSky Share on X Share on LinkedIn Send by email Scheduled dates May 25 2026 16:30 - 18:00 CEST Emeroteca, Badia Fiesolana Organised by Department of Political and Social Sciences This research seminar features a presentation by Paul Marx, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Bonn How conservative citizens respond to rapid social change is a central question for contemporary democracies. Backlash theory argues that conservatives increasingly perceive their views as stigmatized, leading to self-censorship and political resentment. Yet the conversational mechanisms underlying this claim remain largely unexplored. This paper investigates how conservative voters experience political discussions and how such interactions shape attitudes toward free speech and political expression. The study combines focus group discussions with private pre- and post-discussion surveys among approximately 220 ideologically diverse German citizens. Participants discussed contentious socio-cultural issues related to gender and environmental politics in politically heterogeneous groups. Comparing statements made in discussions with survey responses allows the identification of social desirability dynamics and shifts in expressed attitudes, while additional measures capture participants’ perceptions of group atmosphere, tolerance, and openness. Results show that voters of right-wing parties expressed more conservative positions in focus groups than in pre-discussion surveys, with post-discussion survey responses shifting in a similar direction. These patterns are consistent with pluralistic ignorance: initial survey responses appear partly shaped by expectations that progressive views are more socially acceptable, whereas positive group dynamics update perceptions of permissible opinion expression and enable more authentic articulation of conservative positions. Conservatives overwhelmingly reported positive discussion experiences and often preferred group discussions to anonymous surveys. However, these experiences did not reduce broader perceptions of living in a cancel culture, seemingly because of contrast between the group experience and subjective freedom of expression in everyday life. By linking conversational interaction to attitudinal change, the paper highlights political discussion as a key but underutilized site for understanding polarization, backlash, and democratic inclusion. Register