Deepening Knowledge, Preserving Opinion: The Differential Impact of Gamification within a Depolarization Intervention

Concerning contentious topics, researchers have identified a rise in belief polarization linked to significant negative societal consequences, emphasizing the necessity for effective interventions. Despite the potential of methods like intergroup contact or fact-checking websites, a critical challenge persists—individuals must often actively seek out and engage with these interventions. An innovative approach to address this challenge is gamification. Therefore, this study explores whether integrating gamification into a depolarization intervention can boost engagement and, consequently, enhance effectiveness. To this end, an adapted online version of the Consensus Conference method was utilized, presenting well-balanced arguments for and against the contentious issue of implementing a general speed limit on German Highways. A total of N = 269 participants (age: M = 44.86; SD =14.37, n = 135 female) were assigned to one of three conditions: a text-based intervention (reading balanced arguments on the contentious topic), a gamified intervention (engaging with these balanced arguments in a gaming context), or a control condition (reading arguments on an unrelated topic). The study results did not reveal a general effect of the traditional text-based intervention nor an enhanced impact of the gamified intervention on depolarizing opinions. However, the gamified intervention ledto an increased number of read arguments and improved knowledge about the topic, highlighting the independence of knowledge and opinions. Furthermore, political orientation influenced the depolarization effect, with right-leaning individuals demonstrating a more pronounced depolarization of their opinions. In conclusion, in the presence of pre-existing polarization and a politically much-discussed topic, the effect of imparting knowledge as a depolarization strategy is limited, suggesting the need for alternative approaches.