Quantifying the relationship between third sector size and political polarization

Political polarization affects our daily lives. Previous research identified trust in others, income inequality, and social media use as determinants of political polarization while third sector size is a potential, yet unexamined factor (Grechyna, 2016; Gu & Wang, 2022; Kubin & von Sikorski, 2021; Mintzberg, 2015). Using available data on third sector size (Schiltz et al., 2024) and political polarization (Coppedge et al., 2023), a significant linear regression showed countries with a larger third sector size had lower political polarization in 120 countries. Exploratory mediation analyses of high and upper-middle income countries found that trust in others and one-person households partially mediated the relationship between third sector size and political polarization, while income inequality and social media use did not. The results suggest that the third sector is related to political polarization within a country, which is particularly relevant for policy makers who have the aim to reduce political polarization.