Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Utah Gov. Spencer Cox advocates for enhanced civics education to reduce political polarization at a national forum in California.
- He suggests classroom debates to foster empathy and understanding among students.
- Cox shares how his 'Disagree Better' campaign shows bipartisan efforts can decrease partisan animosity.
SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Spencer Cox said better civics education can help reduce polarization in an interview with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice at Stanford University's Hoover Institution Thursday.
The discussion closed out the institution's forum on civics education at the California university and the Utah governor told the former cabinet member to President George W. Bush that as state leaders seek to "get politics" out of classrooms, they should focus more on civics instruction.
"Civics can be infused into just about everything we do," Cox said. "That's one of the mistakes we've made, is to allow politics in many of our classrooms — especially higher ed, and we can talk about that — but how do we get politics out and civics in?"
The governor told Rice he would like to see more debate in classrooms at all levels, particularly debate that forces students to argue and understand ideas they may not necessarily believe in. That process, he said, can help build empathy and understanding between the often starkly partisan divides in American society — something he has previously advocated for through his "Disagree Better" campaign.
"Assign them a position, right, and say, 'Hey, this half of the class is going to argue for abortion, and this half against,'" he explained. "I'm going to take the politics out. I don't care what you personally believe. We're going to assign you to do this, and then we're going to flip sides."
"I wish a lot of our political leaders had a little more curiosity, a willingness to reexamine our own positions and question ourselves to see if we're mistaken," Cox added.
Rice, who now directs the Hoover Institution, asked Cox about the "Disagree Better" campaign he led as chairman of the National Governors Association. Cox noted that Stanford researchers found that efforts to promote political ads with members of the opposing party led to a decrease in partisan animosity and support for bipartisanship.
The governor was excited by those findings, which he said contradict the belief many hold that negative politics and campaigning are the most effective paths to victory.
"It turns out that most Americans hate what's happening in our country today," he said of the polarization of national politics.
He also expressed concern that some younger Americans feel authoritarianism may be a more efficient way to resolve difficult issues plaguing the nation. He said he believes education on the U.S. system of government can empower people to use it to make needed changes without throwing out core democratic principles.
"We kind of get what we deserve as a country, and this is what we deserve — this polarization, this fractured nature," he said. "And yeah, you might want a dictator today, as long as it's the one that you like on your side, right? And every power that can be used today can be used against you tomorrow."
"I just think the only way out of this is, at every level of education and adulthood, that we understand how this stuff works," Cox said. If we're educated about how the system works, he added, "we're far less likely to ... fall for what they're trying to sell us, fall for the fear and demagoguery that we see."
Cox delivered his remarks as one of the featured speakers at the Civic Learning Week National Forum, which brought academics together with business and nonprofit executives. Rice, who was featured alongside Cox, is the executive director of the Hoover Institution.
Among the other speakers was Gen. Jim Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general who served as secretary of defense during President Donald Trump's first term
