…that dangerously distorts views of fellow Americans across the political spectrum

More in Common in its Perception Gap study offers a compelling argument about the dangers of Perception Gap:

“Why does [the “Perception Gap”] matter? Because when Democrats and Republicans believe their opponents hold extreme views, they become more threatened by each other. They start seeing each other as enemies, and start believing they need to win at all costs. They make excuses for their own side cheating and breaking the rules to beat the other side…This is how countries fall into a cycle of deepening polarization, and how democracies die.”