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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Understanding Pew Research Center’s political typology
Our typology provides a look at internal divisions within both the Republican and Democratic coalitions. Read more about the typology study in a Q&A.
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The shift in the American public’s political values
Interactive chart that illustrates the shift in the American public’s political values from 1994-2017, using a scale of 10 questions asked together on seven Pew Research Center surveys.
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Q&A: Pew Research Center’s president on key issues in U.S. polling
Read a Q&A with Michael Dimock, president of Pew Research Center, on recent developments in public opinion polling and what lies ahead.
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Partisan Identification Is ‘Sticky,’ but About 10% Switched Parties Over the Past Year
Survey Report Those who study politics have long known that a person’s party affiliation is a strong predictor of how they will vote and what their opinions will be on most political issues. Some of the power of partisanship comes from its relative immutability: Most people remain loyal to a political party. But over a […]
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The Parties on the Eve of the 2016 Election: Two Coalitions, Moving Further Apart
Ahead of the presidential election, the demographic profiles of the Republican and Democratic parties are strikingly different.
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2016 Party Identification Detailed Tables
All Pew Research Center surveys about U.S. politics and policy include questions about partisan affiliation. In 2016, from January through August, a total of 8,113 registered voters were asked the following: In politics TODAY, do you consider yourself a Republican, Democrat, or independent? (IF INDEPENDENT, OTHER, DON’T KNOW): As of today do you lean more […]
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In ‘political correctness’ debate, most Americans think too many people are easily offended
Six-in-ten (59%) Americans say “too many people are easily offended these days over the language that others use.” Fewer (39%) think “people need to be more careful about the language they use to avoid offending people with different backgrounds.”
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Partisanship and Political Animosity in 2016
The 2016 campaign is unfolding against a backdrop of intense partisan division and animosity. Partisans’ views of the opposing party are now more negative than at any point in nearly a quarter of a century.
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A Different Look at Generations and Partisanship
Survey Report Over the past decade, there has been a pronounced age gap in American politics. Younger Americans have been the Democratic Party’s strongest supporters in both vote preferences and partisanship, while older Americans have been the most reliably Republican. The Pew Research Center’s report earlier this month on partisan identification found that 51% of […]
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Conservatives are among the most politically active Americans
By several measures, conservative Republicans – and conservatives more generally – are more politically active than most other segments of the population.
