WESTERN SOCIETIES ARE EXPERIENCING INCREASING POLITICAL AND SOCIAL POLARIZATION. THIS DIVISION IS NOT CAUSED SOLELY BY IDEOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES, BUT ALSO BY STRUCTURAL FACTORS RELATED TO POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY, THE ECONOMY, AND CULTURAL AND IDENTITY ISSUES. The political and social landscapes of Western democracies have undergone a profound and undeniable transformation over the past decade. Societies that once prided themselves on broad centrist consensus and shared national i