The only safety is in silence: Polarisation and Self-Censorship

The only safety is in silence: (except at the AQR annual conference)

It is perhaps a sign of the times but there seems to be no shortage of polarising and controversial topics to research these days, and this was the focus of the paper we presented at the Association of Qualitative Researchers annual conference in June this year. Billed as ‘Humanity Fights Back’ the conference brought together the qualitative industry’s refreshing response to the challenges posed by the seductive lure of AI and ‘even bigger’ big data. The reassurance that what we do is ‘still all about people and by people’ was gratefully received.

Our particular platform was, ‘Polarisation and Self-Censorship’, and we were one of three papers focused on the vital role qualitative research plays in tackling self-censorship when exploring the ‘really tricky to research’ topics that divide people. My paper was fittingly titled: The only safety is in silence: creating the right space for authenticity in a conflicted world.

Jigsaw has been navigating our polarised world via research for over 20 years, exploring feelings about politics, trust in our institutions, and broaching particularly sensitive issues that divide opinion, and making sense of this complexity. We drew on this experience, as well as self-funded research, to explore how people feel about sharing personal views in the current climate, and different qualitative environments.

As a word, ‘polarisation’ has negative connotations, but in the right spirit, it can be a robust debate. Differences of opinion provide clarity and help sharpen our arguments, and the energy entailed is arguably better than apathy. But when disagreements are weaponised, and in the wrong spirit, as a conflict between ‘us and them’, things become much more problematic. There was a real sense from our research that people feel that ‘everything is weaponised these days’. Expressing your views now feels more of a personal risk and the response at human level is often retreating within yourself. Withdrawal and silence can become the safest option.

But polarisation combined with self-censorship has some significant consequences for our society. There can be a real reluctance to broach important issues because of a fear of disapproval, and this exacerbates the fact that we will always struggle to resolve the issues we don’t talk about; enabling our society to talk about them is a vital purpose for qualitative research.

Where people feel safe depends upon their relationship with the people around them – and people are constantly evaluating their environments and who they are with before they say things, including qualitative contexts. Effectiveness – meaning authenticity – hinges on recreating the environments and relationships where people feel safe in their wider lives, including replicating private and intimate spaces, enabling a sense of tribal security and bond, and actively creating the right qualitative space so that people don’t fear being judged.

This qualitative space is more precious than ever, and it is a unique space in today’s climate; therefore preserving its integrity is vital. It needs to be safe in terms of being open and non-judgemental where people feel secure in expressing their true feelings if it is to deliver authenticity.

But when researching subjects that can divide people, it also needs to be an objective and impartial space. By definition, the issues and topics that polarise us are contested, with divergent theories and narratives behind ‘each side’, and each side is often certain they are right, and the other side is wrong. Maintaining an objective stance is even more pressured in a polarised world, but it is vital that we put ourselves above that fray as researchers, if we are to genuinely listen, and really hear how people feel. All our interests (agencies and clients alike) are best served by qualitative that prioritises authenticity and provides the right space to enable this, and we as qualitative researchers must be custodians of that space.

Luke Perry, July 24