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The Backstory: America is divided, causing anxiety and gridlock. How USA TODAY will help.

I'm USA TODAY editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll and this is The Backstory, insights into our biggest stories of the week. If you'd like to get The Backstory in your inbox every week, subscribe here.

America is divided. And Americans are placing blame:

►On national politicians, who promote destructive public debate for personal gain.

►On social media, which has more to gain than lose from divisiveness.

►And, yes, on news media. "Now it depends on what channel and what station you watch," Lynn Andino from New Rochelle, N.Y., told our research partners. "Wasn't the media supposed to be neutral, to report on facts?"

But here's the hopeful part: Americans don't want it to be this way and have ideas on how to fix it, according to a new Public Agenda/USA TODAY/Ipsos poll measuring the depth of our divide.

This survey launches our ambitious Hidden Common Ground project, monthly research and analysis that surfaces areas of agreement and provides tools to help us have more constructive conversations. Each month, USA TODAY will go deep into thorny topics and offer solutions from thought leaders.

You've told us you want to speak up, but are afraid of being criticized.

You want to better understand the views of the opposing political party, but don't have a good way to do so.

And, personally, you want relief – the rancor is making too many of you anxious, sad and depressed.

Consider this part blueprint, part balm.

We're not advocating for watering down ideas. We are suggesting that we better understand how others think and learn how to have productive debate. You've told us: Our divisiveness is killing our ability to address our problems. In a democracy, change must be grounded in public support.

Our partners at the nonpartisan Public Agenda research and engagement organization have been studying public opinion for more than 40 years. President Will Friedman says he just didn't buy the narrative of a hopelessly divided America. "All that seemed overstated to us to the point of being self fulfilling and self destructive," he says.

Friedman approached USA TODAY with a proposal: What if we joined forces to show the true America? To find out where we agree more than disagree. To provide tools to help us talk. To reach the "exhausted middle of the electorate."

It was a perfect fit for USA TODAY, long known for being the home of direct facts and multiple viewpoints. Whenever you see a grid of media on a political spectrum, researchers place USA TODAY squarely in the middle. The project reflects founder Al Neuharth’s 1982 mission statement about USA TODAY serving as “a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.”

Mizell Stewart III, our senior director of news partnerships, worked with Public Agenda and market research firm Ipsos on the topics we'll tackle. "People do want to find common ground." he says. "They don’t always know how.”

Here's how:

►Each month, we’ll explore your opinions on complex issues like health care, immigration and economic opportunity. In addition to the analysis in USA TODAY, you can find full reports at publicagenda.org.

►We'll bring you stories of progress. "When you get outside the Beltway, you find a lot of people working together, trying to solve problems," Friedman says. "They aren’t paying as much attention to the partisan affiliations."

►We'll create a space for constructive discussion. Join us at talk.usatoday.com, where you can join moderated conversations on each month's topics.

►We'll partner with the National Issues Forums on online and in-person gatherings that help you learn how to tease out answers to complicated problems. "People need to understand about the tradeoffs," Friedman says. "What direction do we want to go, what is hard about it, what is going to have to change to get there? That is what makes it real.” 

Ninety-two percent of Americans say it's important to reduce divisiveness in our country, and this is equally true among Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Sixty-five percent say it's very important.

We're proud to do our part.

"Working with you all, we hope to create a model that we and others can learn from," Friedman says, "a news media partnership that contributes in a creative way."

Nicole Carroll is the editor-in-chief of USA TODAY. She is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Benjamin C. Bradlee "Editor of the Year” and proud mom of three. Comments? Questions? Reach her at EIC@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter here. If you'd like to get The Backstory in your inbox every Friday, subscribe here.

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