Brendan Nyhan and Rocio Titiunik in Science:

The articles by Chu et al., Voelkel et al., and Tessler et al. show that online surveys, experiments, and AI-assisted deliberation can help to improve democratic attitudes and build consensus among the public. We welcome the development and refinement of such tools but also caution against focusing too narrowly on public opinion. Understanding and preventing democratic erosion requires an equal focus on political institutions, electoral rules, and the behavior of elites, the study of which is less amenable to experimentation and is often based on observational research designs and historical data. Still, we hope that tools and approaches such as these inspire us to develop new ways to protect democracy and to deter those who would aspire to subvert it.