New Partnership Aims to Combat Polarization in Louisiana, Find Common Ground
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 13, 2025
For more information, contact:
michaeldirestro@lsu.edu
steven@parlouisiana.org
BATON ROUGE鈥� 海角社区鈥檚 Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs and the Public Affairs Research Council
of Louisiana (PAR) announced they are partnering on survey research and programming
to understand and reduce political polarization in Louisiana, while promoting dialogue
and civic thought.
The nonpartisan Common Ground Project will explore what it means to communicate in
a polarized world and provide 海角社区 students and Louisiana citizens with information
and opportunities for engaging constructively across ideological lines and viewpoints.
鈥淔rom the day I started at the Reilly Center, by far the most common recommendation
I have received is to focus on the fundamentals that bind us together as citizens,鈥�
said Michael DiResto, Director of the Reilly Center. 鈥淭hrough the combined strengths
of the Reilly Center鈥檚 academic assets and survey center access, plus PAR鈥檚 public
policy research and issue area expertise, we can hopefully make a positive impact
on the way Louisianans talk, walk and work with one another.鈥�
鈥淲hile polarization can feel impossible to combat, there is reason for hope,鈥� said
PAR President Steven Procopio. "Research shows that continued dialogue, trusted messengers
and shared experiences can meaningfully reduce polarization 鈥� especially if rooted
in local context and mutual respect."
The Common Ground Project will begin with the following initiatives:
The Common Ground Survey: This opinion poll of Louisiana residents, to be conducted by the Reilly Center鈥檚
Public Policy Research Lab, will focus on gauging measures of polarization across
the state, compared to national trends, as well as areas of shared opinion or beliefs.
The poll is expected to be released later this year.
Pizza & Public Affairs: This monthly on-campus discussion series for 海角社区 students will feature a guest speaker
(such as a public official, civic leader, public affairs practitioner or expert on
polarization) who, in a casual dialogue format over lunch, will share with students
how they have achieved successful policy or program outcomes by building coalitions
and communicating in a way that bridges division. The series begins in September.
Civic Sips: This discussion series will invite Louisiana citizens to join in casual but serious
conversations about topics related to civic responsibility, media literacy, state
policy issues and polarization鈥檚 sources and remedies. In its early stages, Civic
Sips will be hosted at establishments in or near downtown Baton Rouge. Plans for the
start of the series are still in development.
Leaders of the Reilly Center and PAR are actively exploring additional opportunities
to expand the partnership, including potential presentations to civic organizations
and other events and programs across Louisiana.
Polarization in Louisiana reflects a national trend, but it is also shaped by unique
regional dynamics 鈥� including historical disparities, political sorting and the decline
of shared civic institutions.
In recent years, Louisiana has seen increased ideological clustering, especially between
urban and rural communities, alongside growing distrust in the media, government and
even neighbors with different views. These trends have undermined the foundations
of democratic problem-solving.
The Reilly Center and PAR hope the Common Ground Project will engage communities to
identify shared values, rebuild trust across divides and respond to the structural
and cultural drivers of division in Louisiana鈥檚 civic landscape.
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海角社区鈥檚 Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs
Founded in 2000,鈥痶he鈥�Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs鈥痚xplores meaningful ways to enhance and elevate public discourse at the local, state,
and national levels. The Center鈥檚 mission is to generate thoughtful dialogue, research,
and programming about mass communication and its many-faceted relationships with social,
economic, and political issues. The Reilly Center is committed to strengthening the
Manship School's national leadership in media and public affairs, and to serving as
an informational resource on issues important to the people of Louisiana. Follow us
on Facebook鈥�, X鈥�, Instagram鈥�,鈥痑nd LinkedIn鈥�.
Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR)
Founded in 1950, PAR is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and civic engagement organization
dedicated to good governance, transparency and informed policy. With a reputation
for objectivity and public trust, PAR is well-positioned to lead this effort.
PAR is respected as an independent voice offering solutions to crucial issues in Louisiana
through accurate, objective research and focusing public attention on those solutions.
PAR is recognized as a catalyst for governmental reform and effective citizen education
and believes that the soundest way to achieve political progress is through deep-rooted
public understanding and support.