Does inter-group contacts reduce ethnic-based political polarisation? Evidence from a natural experiment based on Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps

Abstract

Nigeria witnessed a high level of political polarisation along ethnic and religious lines before, during and even after the 2023 general elections. This high level of polarisation could undermine national unity and further aggravate the call for armed secessionism and insecurity. Thus, it is important that appropriate strategies and measures be taken to reduce the current tension and address political polarisation. Although political polarisation has been studied in the Nigerian context, there is no known study that has investigated the effect of inter-group contacts on propensity for ethnic-based political polarisation. This is the gap this study aims to fill. This study will leverage the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as a natural experiment, to investigate whether intergroup contacts can reduce political polarisation in Nigeria.