Changing Partisan Coalitions in a Politically Divided Nation
Amid shifts in demographics and partisan allegiances, registered voters are now evenly split between the Democratic Party and the GOP.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Political Parties & Polarization
Most Americans say Republican and Democratic voters cannot agree on basic facts
Eight-in-ten U.S. adults say Republican and Democratic voters not only disagree on plans and policies, but also cannot agree on basic facts.
Americans see Republicans growing more comfortable, and Democrats less, with sharing their views
Four-in-ten U.S. adults say Republicans are very comfortable expressing their political views, and 36% say the same about Democrats.
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Political Parties & Polarization
Publications
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6 facts about U.S. political independents
Partisan divides in America are as wide as they’ve ever been in the modern political era. But what about those who identify as independents?
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Political Independents: Who They Are, What They Think
Most independents are not all that “independent” politically. And the small share of Americans who are truly independent stand out for their low level of interest in politics.
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Republicans and Democrats have grown further apart on what the nation’s top priorities should be
Partisans have moved apart not just in political values and approaches to addressing issues, but also on the issues they identify as top priorities.
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House Republicans who lost re-election bids were more moderate than those who won
Among GOP House incumbents who lost their re-election campaigns, 23 of 30 were more moderate than the median Republican in the chamber.
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In midterm voting decisions, policies took a back seat to partisanship
Partisan loyalty and dislike of the opposing party and its candidates were major factors for voters’ choices in this month’s midterms.
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Most say their family is OK with discussing politics – but it helps if the family agrees
Many Americans say their family is OK with talking about politics when they gather, and a majority has at least some common ground politically with family.
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The 2018 midterm vote: Divisions by race, gender, education
There were wide differences in voting preferences between men and women, whites and nonwhites, as well as people with more and less educational attainment.
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A look at voters’ views ahead of the 2018 midterms
With this year’s midterm elections just a week away, here are some key findings from Pew Research Center surveys over the past several months about some of the dynamics and issues shaping the battle for Congress.
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Republicans, Democrats See Opposing Party as More Ideological Than Their Own
Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to view the Democratic Party as very liberal. And the pattern is similar, though less pronounced, in views of the GOP’s ideology: More Democrats than Republicans see the Republican Party as very conservative. When asked to evaluate the Democratic Party’s ideology, a majority of Republicans (55%) give […]
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Younger adults, independents more critical of their district’s past congressional candidate fields
Younger Americans are less likely than their elders and partisans are more likely than independents to have positive views of past congressional candidate pools in their districts.
