Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories
Increasing shares of partisans see members of the other party as ‘closed-minded’ and ‘immoral’

The partisan divide is getting worse

Increasing shares of partisans see members of the other party as ‘closed-minded’ and ‘immoral’
Increasing shares of partisans see members of the other party as ‘closed-minded’ and ‘immoral’

How bad is the partisan division in this country?

Roughly half or more Republicans and Democrats believe members of the other party are more "closed-minded" and "unpatriotic" than other Americans, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans see others as unpatriotic, while only 23 percent of Democrats feel that way.

The survey, which was conducted in early September and before Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced plans to pursue an impeachment inquiry against President Trump, revealed a growing animosity that has festered since Pew last conducted a similar survey three years ago.

Compared to the 2016 survey, the share of partisan Americans who believe the other side is closed-minded or immoral has spiked, with double-digit increases in the percentage of Republicans who believed Democrats were "more closed-minded" and Democrats who said Republicans were "more immoral" than other Americans.


Politics and name-calling aside, the majority of Republicans and Democrats also said the two sides didn't share many of their "values and goals" and roughly three-fourths of those surveyed said they not only disagreed on "plans and policies" but also couldn't agree on "basic facts."


Republicans and Democrats agree that they cannot agree on 'basic facts'


The negative vibes are clearly being internalized: Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed said the division between Republicans and Democrats is getting worse. Yet, only 46 percent said they were "very" concerned about it, with another 36 percent saying they were "somewhat" concerned.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

Increasing shares of partisans see members of the other party as ‘closed-minded’ and ‘immoral’

Read More

Congress: Do Your Job
white concrete building during daytime

Congress: Do Your Job

Keep ReadingShow less
Build Community Norms and Reduce Intergroup Anxiety
white jigsaw puzzle pieces on brown marble table
Photo by Jonny Gios on Unsplash

Build Community Norms and Reduce Intergroup Anxiety

More in Common recently released “The Connection Opportunity,” an expansive two-year study involving over 6,000 Americans nationwide about connections across various divides. It has so much valuable content. As a practitioner focused on reducing problems around political differences, I want to focus on what I found to be the most important findings, followed by examples of efforts to achieve these goals.

One of the five key insights resonates most with me: “Two factors–community norms and intergroup anxiety–stand out as the strongest predictors of interest in connecting across difference.” This helps focus attention on the most important steps to take, to build community norms related to connecting, and to reduce factors leading to an overblown sense of intergroup anxiety.

Keep ReadingShow less