The power of connecting perspectives, explained
Creating positive impact is at the heart of our mission. So naturally, conducting research into the effects of the Civinc method is as well. Read below what scientific studies have to say about this.
Combatting polarization
The Civinc concept was first developed to connect (100.000+) voters with different political views ahead of successive Dutch elections (see also about). Jona de Jong, PhD candidate at the European University Institute, studied the impact of anonymous chat conversations on participants’ perception.
The result? Even short (10-minute) conversations on the Civinc platform lead to significantly less polarized views of ‘the other side’ and a greater willingness to engage in discussions with them. The studies been published here and here, made possible with support from the Dutch Ministry of the Interior.
Building confidence & listening skills
The Civinc concept is also used for educational purposes, to practice constructive dialogue and stimulate skill-building. As part of a project funded by the SIDN Fund, the University of Utrecht has conducts research on the impact thereof.
Preliminary results confirm that participants in using Civinc become more understanding of people with different perspectives, and are more willing to engage with them. Moreover, they become more confident and articulate in expressing their viewpoint, and better able to listen to arguments from the other side.
Involving employees safely & meaningfully
Within organizations, then, Civinc is used to connect viewpoints of employees on important organizational topics. Across sessions on different topics and in different settings, we ask participants about their perceived ability to contribute to the conversation as well as their perceived safety.
More than 90% of participants indicate that allows them to meaningfully contribute to the conversation on workplace topics. In addition, over 60% of participants indicate they feel more safe to share their authentic opinion compared with a group setting.
