Educating and advocating on the drivers of conflict in the U.S., and what’s working and not working to build better trust, belonging, and cooperation program, to ensure evidenced-based policies, resources, and solutions, from the local to the national level.
Measuring Pluralism for Standards, Strategy, and Scale
At a time of significant division and insecurity in the U.S., as of December 2025, AfP is honored to announce a new partnership with New Pluralists that will focus on building better trust, belonging, and cooperation programs. The goal of the project, in partnership with More in Common, will be to understand what is working and not working in the U.S. and develop a new framework to standardize how pluralism work is measured, evaluated, and funded.
Key Research and Analysis
Please see AfP’s recently published Call to Action: De-Escalate Crisis in Minneapolis and Prevent and Reduce Further Political Violence Across the U.S.
More in Common’s report, Beyond MAGA: A Profile of the Trump Coalition, is the most comprehensive study to date of the 77 million Americans who voted for President Trump in 2024. The report provides an in-depth segmentation of Trump voters and their views on the issues shaping the U.S. and the world.
Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative produces innovative data and analysis on political violence to enable trend monitoring, early warning, and response. Learn more here.
The University of Chicago’s Chicago Project on Security & Threats produces policy-relevant basic research to surface credible new knowledge with the potential to improve policy decisions that can strengthen the security of the U.S. Learn more here.
NewGen Peacebuilders/Youth and Peace in Action (YPA) provides virtual and live peace education, training, and mentoring for schools, teachers and students. YPA has reached 8,000 students, teachers, and supporters and certified 2,250 young peacebuilders. Its students have initiated 100 peace projects. See more information on how you can involve your school here.
American University’s Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) uses a public health approach to design, test, and scale up evidence-based tools and strategies that effectively reduce the threat of radicalization in the U.S. via harmful online and offline content, including conspiracy theories, mis/disinformation, propaganda, and supremacist ideologies. Learn more here.
The TRUST Network, a partnership between Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI), the National Association for Community Mediation (NAFCM), and the Center for Peace, Democracy, and Development, established a first-of-its-kind citizen-run Early Warning Early Action infrastructure developed specifically for the United States. Learn more here.
Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), an independent, impartial conflict monitor providing real-time data and analysis on violent conflict and protest, regularly publishes analyses on political violence and instability in the U.S. Learn more here.
The Pew Research Center publishes comprehensive surveys on political animosity in the U.S. Learn more here.
The Fund for Peace’s State Resilience Index identifies capacities and capabilities in countries under stress, including the U.S. Learn more here. Similarly, the Fund for Peace’s Fragile States Index measures conflict risks across 12 indicators in 178 countries. Learn more here.
The Institute for Economics and Peace’s Positive Peace Report compares and tracks of the factors that create flourishing societies and lasting peace, including in the U.S. Learn more here. Similarly, the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Peace Index presents comprehensive data-driven analysis to-date on trends in peace, its economic value, and how to develop peaceful societies. Learn more here.
Demos published a framework to build understanding of how epistemic security defines the health of a democracy, and that without it, democracies hollow out and ultimately collapse. The framework provides a way of diagnosing when democracy is functioning, when it is hollowing, and when it has descended into simulation. Read here.
The Listen First Project’s Bridging Movement Goals & Measures Program compiles case studies of bridging groups and other institutions evaluating and measuring the impact of their programs. Learn more here.
The Global Center for Pluralism’s Global Pluralism Monitor is a holistic tool that aims to better understand the state of pluralism in any country or given context, including the U.S. Learn more here.
The Barnes Family Foundation published a report analyzing data on the strength of social connections between Americans, providing evidence needed to confront the urgent risks that loneliness, isolation, and disconnection pose to the American public. Read here.
Nonviolent Peaceforce published a brief that highlights increasing threats to civilians in the U.S.—including shrinking civic space, militarization of public safety, and growing identity-based violence—and explores how community-led efforts can work to support safety and prevent violence. Read here.
The Toda Peace Institute published an article analyzing the rising signs of authoritarianism in the U.S. Learn more here.
The Carnegie Corporation of New York published the results of a three-part survey examining polarization in the U.S. The survey found that 89 percent of local government officials say polarization is negatively affecting the U.S., while just 30 percent of the same officials report that polarization is hurting their local community—a figure unchanged during the past year. Learn more here.