As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System
Partisans increasingly view members of their own party as more moral, open-minded and honest than others; shift is more modest among leaners
Embed
Attachment Info
- As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System
- Growing shares of both Republicans and Democrats say members of the other party are more immoral, dishonest, closed-minded than other Americans
- Support for more political parties is highest among independents, higher among Democrats than Republicans
- Share of Americans holding unfavorable views of both parties among the highest in decades
- Rise in share of Democratic leaners who cite frustration with party leadership as reason they don’t identify with the party
- Two decades of rising partisan antipathy
- Views of Republican, Democratic parties largely stable as public continues to rate both parties unfavorably
- Republican and Democratic leaners are nearly as negative about the opposing party as partisans, but far less positive about ‘their’ party
- Highly negative views of the opposing party are far more widespread than in the past
- Partisan antipathy has significantly increased among partisan leaners in recent years
- About a quarter of the public has unfavorable views of both parties
- Partisans with weaker ties to their party more likely to have unfavorable views of both parties
- Younger adults more likely to hold unfavorable views of both Democratic and Republican parties
- Partisan gaps on recent presidents far wider than for their predecessors
- Public criticism of the parties: Majorities say they are each too extreme, don’t govern honestly and ethically
- Republicans and Democrats negatively characterize other party, generally positive toward own
- About a quarter see neither party as governing in an honest and ethical way, 30% see both as too extreme
- A majority of ‘strong’ Republicans say they like political leaders who claim that Trump won in 2020
- Republican views of leaders who say Trump won in 2020 are essentially unchanged over the past year
- Republicans without college degrees have more positive views of leaders who say Trump won in 2020
- Democrats more likely than Republicans to say they like political leaders who think the opposing party has good ideas on some issues
- Differences by party, age in views of whether a person’s party says a lot or a little about their character
- Nearly four-in-ten Americans express a desire for more political parties
- Younger adults, college graduates are more likely to want more choices of political parties
- Republicans regardless of age express less support for more choices of political parties
- Wide age differences in perceptions of how much parties differ from each other
- Those with weaker partisan ties are less likely to see major differences between the two major parties
- Younger people more likely than older adults to say they usually feel like no candidate shares their views
- Partisan leaners increasingly feel no candidates represent their views well
- Partisans about equally likely to cite harm from opposing party’s policies, good resulting from their party’s policies as major reason for their partisan identification
- Negative assessments of other party’s policies are biggest reason for leaning toward a party among independents
- Since 2016, a growing share of Democratic leaners cite frustration with the party’s leadership as a major reason why they do not identify as Democrats
- Republicans and Democrats without college degrees say their party sticking up for people like them is a ‘major reason’ for affiliating
- Looking ahead, most Democrats and Republicans say it is ‘very unlikely’ they will vote for the other party’s candidates
- Majorities in both parties view members of the other party as more immoral, dishonest and closed-minded than other Americans
- Shares of partisans describing members of the other party in negative terms has risen since 2016
- Republican and Democratic leaners view the opposing party more negatively than other Americans, but to a lesser extent than partisans
- Partisan leaners increasingly describe members of the other party in negative terms
- How partisans view members of their own party
- In both parties, and among leaners, the shares describing opposing partisans with multiple negative traits has increased over the last several years
- American Trends Panel recruitment surveys
- Invitation and reminder dates
- Weighting dimensions
- Unweighted sample sizes
- Response rates
1615 L St. NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
USA
(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main
(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax
(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries
Research Topics
ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center