On measure after measure – whether primary voting, writing letters to officials, volunteering for or donating to a campaign – the most politically polarized are more actively involved in politics, amplifying the voices that are the least willing to see the parties meet each other halfway. The change among Republicans since then appears less dramatic – 33% express consistently conservative views, up from 23% in the midst of the 1994 “Republican Revolution.” But a decade ago, just 10% of politically engaged Republicans had across-the-board conservative attitudes. Today, almost four-in-ten (38%) politically engaged Democrats are consistent liberals, up from just 8% in 1994. The rise of ideological uniformity has been much more pronounced among those who are the most politically active. Many of those in the center remain on the edges of the political playing field … while the most ideologically oriented and politically rancorous Americans make their voices heard Yet many of those in the center remain on the edges of the political playing field, relatively distant and disengaged, while the most ideologically oriented and politically rancorous Americans make their voices heard through greater participation in every stage of the political process. And more believe their representatives in government should meet halfway to resolve contentious disputes rather than hold out for more of what they want. Most do not see either party as a threat to the nation. The majority do not have uniformly conservative or liberal views. These sentiments are not shared by all – or even most – Americans. Liberals and conservatives disagree over where they want to live, the kind of people they want to live around and even whom they would welcome into their families.Īnd at a time of increasing gridlock on Capitol Hill, many on both the left and the right think the outcome of political negotiations between Obama and Republican leaders should be that their side gets more of what it wants. People with down-the-line ideological positions – especially conservatives – are more likely than others to say that most of their close friends share their political views. “Ideological silos” are now common on both the left and right. Most of these intense partisans believe the opposing party’s policies “are so misguided that they threaten the nation’s well-being.” In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994. Partisan animosity has increased substantially over the same period. Today 92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican As a result, ideological overlap between the two parties has diminished: Today, 92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican. And ideological thinking is now much more closely aligned with partisanship than in the past. The overall share of Americans who express consistently conservative or consistently liberal opinions has doubled over the past two decades from 10% to 21%. And a new survey of 10,000 adults nationwide finds that these divisions are greatest among those who are the most engaged and active in the political process. These trends manifest themselves in myriad ways, both in politics and in everyday life. Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in the last two decades.
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