Building Bridges: A Playbook for Community Connection
New research shows Americans want to connect across differences, but they need the right opportunities. Here's how organizations can create them.
Key Insight
Research shows that people crave relationship, but they need opportunities to come together and work together. When given a choice, Americans prefer working together toward a shared community goal rather than simply talking about their differences.
Many years ago, on a sunny Saturday in Washington, D.C., a small group of friends reflected on their good fortune. They had strong support networks that helped them succeed - first apartments, steady jobs, and work that felt meaningful. But they wondered: how many young women lack such support?
This moment of reflection led to the creation of Write to Be, a nonprofit providing mentorship and skills training to young women in Haiti. The organization brought together people from vastly different backgrounds - future staff members of both parties in Congress worked side by side on the same board.
This experience reveals something important about how Americans really want to engage with each other. Despite what we often hear about division in our country, new research from More in Common shows that people are actually open to connecting across differences - they just need the right opportunities.
The Connection Gap
The Connection Opportunity report reveals a surprising truth: most Americans want to engage with people different from themselves, but they face barriers that prevent meaningful connection. The biggest obstacle isn't unwillingness - it's simply a lack of opportunities.
Competition for our time and attention makes fostering connection harder than ever. Between expanding work hours, family responsibilities, and the easy appeal of staying home to scroll social media or binge-watch shows, creating space for real human connection requires intentional effort.
A Three-Part Strategy for Success
Organizations looking to build stronger communities can follow a proven approach that creates lasting change:
Three Essential Steps
- Create more opportunities for connection - Space must be intentionally created, like a garden, for relationships to take root and grow
- Focus on shared goals - Americans prefer working together toward common community objectives rather than just discussing their differences
- Build on success - Research shows that the more people connect across differences, the more likely they are to want to continue doing so
The snowball effect is real: as people see others in their community connecting across differences, they become more likely to do the same. This creates positive momentum that can transform entire neighborhoods and organizations.
Making It Practical
Successful community-building efforts meet people where they are. This might mean hosting events at convenient times and locations, focusing on issues that matter to local residents, or creating low-pressure environments where natural conversations can happen.
The key is understanding that connections and relationships are critical to flourishing communities - but we cannot take it for granted that these relationships will form on their own. If organizations are investing in strong communities, relationship-building must be a central part of their strategy.
Remember This
We are naturally diverse. To build strong communities, we have to be intentional about connecting across our differences. The good news? Americans are ready for this work - they just need the right opportunities to get started.
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