The following selection of assessment tools provides a range of different axes and perspectives: some of the tools facilitate the detection of polarisation and tensions within the municipality, others help evaluate the level of participation or enable the identification of potential ‘bridge builders’.
1. Polarisation questionnaire/survey (‘zero-sum mindset’) According to ‘zero-sum’ thinking, life is a zero-sum game, and one can only win if the other loses. Such a mindset is one of the root causes of polarisation and social tensions. Therefore, a zero-sum mindset polarisation questionnaire is a useful audit tool to generate empirical data about the manifestation of polarisation in a local community. The survey in question can provide municipalities with genuine insights into the spread of polarisation as well as risk and resilience factors. To do so, the questionnaire uses the concept of a zero-sum mindset, which measures the degree to which an individual views intergroup and social relationships as fixed and antagonistic, excluding the possibility of cooperation and dialogue. The survey aims to assess the presence of zero-sum mindsets along a spectrum, which has been shown to predict key psychological indicators of intergroup hostility.
Operationalisation The questions have to be adapted and edited to fit the city’s local context. It is possible to add territorial markers to the survey, gang names, or other polarising identifiers the municipality perceives to be relevant in the local context. One important aspect to take into account is how the questionnaire will be distributed in order to access as many people as possible and hence gather representative data. This can be done through an online questionnaire, a paper and pen one, or a mix of both. Another important point is to allow people to respond in a safe place anonymously and guarantee their data will not be published or shared. If the responses are collected orally, identifying and demographic data must be recorded and stored separately.
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