FIGURE 1
Number of articles with the term polarise* and standard usage
Comments: The panel on the left depicts the number of articles per quarter from the polarise* query. In the panel on the right, the number from the left panel is divided by the number of articles from the baseline during the quarter.
TABLE 1
Most commonly named entities found in sentences that included polarise*
| Entities from | Same sentence mentions | Most common entities (by number of mentions) |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 5,223 | USA (2,417), Trump (833), Obama (323), Washington (172) |
| Sweden | 3,070 | Sweden (1,680), Stockholm (302), Gothenburg (218), Malmö (151) |
| EU | 2,176 | Europ* (700), EU (409), Russia (162), Germany (158) |
| Other | 697 | Israel (193), Turkey (174), Iraq (133), Erdogan (71) |
FIGURE 2
Comparing the frequency with which politicians are mentioned in the context of polarisation, 2010–2020
Comments: Y-axes show the average number of times that a politician was mentioned in the articles included in the news corpus.
TABLE 2
Words associated with polarise* in the word2vec models
| Type of polarisation | 2010–2015 & 2016–2021 | Unique 2010–2015 | Unique 2016–2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| issues and ideology |
|
|
|
| affective |
|
|
|
[i] Comments: Within each cell, words are ordered by their frequency of occurrence.
FIGURE 3
The polarisation vector space split before and after 2016 and between the US and Sweden
Comments: The red coloured words signal affective polarisation, and the black coloured words are associated with ideological polarisation.
TABLE A1
Named entities mentioned most commonly in sentences that included polarise*
| Entity | Number of same sentence mentions |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 1,680 |
| USA | 1,640 |
| Trump | 833 |
| America* | 777 |
| Europe* | 700 |
| EU | 409 |
| Obama | 323 |
| Stockholm | 302 |
| Gothenburg | 218 |
| Israel | 193 |
| Turkey | 174 |
| Washington | 172 |
| Clinton | 165 |
| Russia | 162 |
| Germany | 158 |
| Biden | 154 |
| Malmö | 151 |
| Iraq | 130 |
| France | 122 |
| New York | 119 |
| Åkesson | 117 |
| UK | 117 |
| Italy | 110 |
| Poland | 108 |
| Löfven | 102 |
TABLE A2
Words associated with polarise* in the word2vec models.
| Word type | 2010–2015 & 2016–2021 | Unique 2010–2015 | Unique 2016–2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| synonyms/antonyms/definitions/metaphors |
|
|
|
| causes/outcomes |
|
|
|
| carriers/expressions |
|
|
|
| issues/themes/ |
|
|
|
| qualitative/affective |
|
|
|
| other/unclear |
|
|
|
[i] Comments: Within each cell, words are ordered by their frequency of occurrence
TABLE A3
Typical sentences in which words appeared together with the term polarisation
| Word | Typical Sentence | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| segregation | minska polarise och segregation | reduce polarisation and segregation |
| progressiv |
| the county has a polarised history with land use and industry but also a progressive social democracy... |
| främlingsfientligheten |
| Motalas association kulturslussen felt that something had to be done against polarisation and xenophobia |
| inkomstklyftor |
| There is a risk that increased unemployment and sharpened income gaps will strengthen the political polarisation according to Adrian Cooper |
| toleransen |
| SSR believes that the debate on the issue has hardened and become increasingly polarised in recent times. |
| rasismen | det är rasismen i sverige som är polariserad | it is the racism in Sweden that is polarising |
| islamofobin |
| and when the media inflates the terror threat, of course polarisation and Islamophobia also increase |
| transparensen | Så transparens är viktigt om man vill minska polariseringen inom debatten. | So transparency is important if you want to reduce polarisation within the debate. |
| kunskapsklyftorna |
| Rutavdraget risks increasing knowledge gaps and thereby contributing to school results becoming even more polarised than they are today. |
| politisering | då förvandlas politisering till polarisering | then politicisation turns into polarisation |
| politikerföraktet |
| the disdain for politicians creates a polarisation, which damages all parties |
| populismen | populismen och polarisering är farlig | Populism and polarisation are dangerous |
| faktaresistent |
| unfortunately, the discussion in society is becoming increasingly polarised and resistant to facts |
| otryggheten | otryggheten och polarisering ökar | insecurity and polarisation increase |
| misstro |
| that it creates polarisation and mistrust |
| oron | oron för polarisering | concern about polarisation |
| hätsk | hätsk retorik och ökad polarisering kan gynna extremism | virulent rhetoric and increased polarisation can favour extremism |
| osäkerhet |
| propaganda limited news reporting and polarisation create everyday uncertainty |
| stämning |
| there is an escalation, an increasingly heated atmosphere and polarisation |
| infekterad | debatten har blivit polariserad och infekterad | the debate has become polarised and infected |
| fientlighet |
| aggressive identity politics and militant anti-racism polarises, it creates hostility and conflict instead of solidarity and brotherhood |
| tryck |
| polarisation also takes pressure off others |
| förfäran |
| increasingly dissatisfied and frustrated with the superficiality and with dismay at how contradictions and polarisation eat into our society |
| förhoppningsvis |
| issues that very easily and often become polarised, could hopefully become a little more nuanced |
| missnöje |
| inequality in society increases, which leads to dissatisfaction and polarisation |
| uppskruvad |
| the contemporary debate is polarised and the volume is turned up high |
| hårdnat |
| via the tech giants’ hate-promoting algorithms, the tone in social media has hardened and polarisation has increased |
| oförsonlig |
| right now we have a time of more polarisation, more violent climate, more intransigent rhetoric |
| råare | tonen har blivit råare när samhället blir mer polariserad | the tone has become rawer as society becomes more polarised |
| förgifta |
| such exaggerations should not be allowed to poison the debate, because then we can slip into the same polarised debate mess as in the US |
| pessimism |
| pessimism, mistrust, bureaucracy, fake news, walls, aviation shame, customs walls, polarisation, and closed-mindedness put a damper on the mood |
| optimism |
| from the optimism of the early speech to the rhythmic boredom of the speech via the polarised cultural struggle |
| misstänksamhet |
| they created fear, suspicion, and polarisation East and West |