Stephen Hawkins

A Future Beyond Polarization: What Still Binds Americans Together?

Stephen Hawkins serves as Global Director of Research for More in Common, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to understanding and addressing political polarization, social division, and the psychological drivers behind societal fragmentation. He has held this position since the organization’s founding in 2016 and leads the design, execution, and interpretation of research that informs political actors, think tanks, non-profits, philanthropy and the public at large.

As Global Director of Research, Mr. Hawkins oversees the research output produced by More in Common, which today is an organization of 75 staff in seven countries—with ongoing expansion. More in Common publishes dozens of reports and analyses each year on how societies might better understand and overcome their divisions.

Mr. Hawkins’s research centers on:

• Political polarization and tribalism in democratic societies
• Perception gaps — how people misconceive the beliefs and behaviors of those they disagree with
• The psychology of common identity and division
• Strategies for building social cohesion and dialogue

Mr. Hawkins’s work combines mixed-mode data collection (surveys, interviews, fieldwork) and innovative analytic frameworks to uncover the psychological underpinnings of political behavior, perceptions, and identity. Studies he has led or co-authored — including Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape (2018), The Perception Gap (2019), American Fabric: Identity and Belonging (2020), and Defusing the History Wars (2022) — have been referenced numerous times in media, policy debates, electoral campaigns, and academic discourse.  The Hidden Tribes project revealed that Americans — and citizens of other democracies — are often more moderate and less divided than media narratives suggest, and that misconceptions about opponents fuel hostility and mistrust.

Mr. Hawkins’s work is widely cited in major media outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Economist, CNN, and Fox News, and has been presented to policymakers, civic groups, and heads of state in the U.S. and Europe.

Mr. Hawkins received a B.A. in International Affairs, Political Science, and Economics from The George Washington University, and a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. During his time at Harvard, he was selected to deliver the class graduation speech.