The United States stands out among 17 advanced economies as one of the most conflicted when it comes to questions of social unity. A large majority of Americans say there are strong political and strong racial and ethnic conflicts in the U.S. and that most people disagree on basic facts. And while Americans are not alone in this regard – France and South Korea also stand out as strongly conflicted societies – findings from a new Pew Research Center report reveal exactly how the U.S. is more divided than other societies surveyed.
Nine-in-ten U.S. adults say there are conflicts between people who support different political parties, while an overall median of 50% say the same across all advanced economies surveyed. Similarly, about seven-in-ten Americans say there are conflicts between people with different ethnic or racial backgrounds in the U.S., more than all the other publics surveyed. As a comparison, only about a quarter in Singapore and Taiwan and a third in Spain say the same.
