How museums can help rebuild trust in a divided America

By Devon Akmon, Director of the MSU Museum and CoLab Studio, Michigan State University

Across the United States, political polarization has deepened to historic levels. In a report published in May 2025, the Pew Research Center found that Americans are more divided and less trusting of one another than at any point in recent decades. Yet museums remain among the few places where curiosity still draws people across political and cultural lines.

Ninety-two percent of adults view museums as nonpartisan sources of education, according to a report…

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