Political debate is an essential part of the democratic process – and a key to our country’s success. It allows candidates to articulate their views, support them with evidence, and engage in respectful discourse. And it helps voters make informed decisions. However, increased polarization has made many Americans frustrated by the idea of political debate. It seems like they feel that it’s often counterproductive, and that the process is more focused on picking sides and trumpeting weaknesses than trying to find common ground. And the rise of social media platforms such as X and TikTok have only served to exacerbate this sentiment.
To be able to participate in a head-to-head presidential debate, a candidate must meet several criteria: be statistically viable for the electoral college (i.e., have a realistic chance of winning 270 electoral votes), be available to the public, and be willing to engage in a moderated discussion with the other party’s nominee. The CPD has conducted numerous debates during presidential elections since 1960, and some have been among the most watched television broadcasts in history.
To better understand how debates affect the public, our research team has studied people’s personal debate experiences. In two studies, participants were asked to think about a topic that they’ve recently debated, and to describe who they debated with and where they did it. The figure below displays their responses, with a box showing the median and whiskers showing the range.
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