Republicans and Democrats set higher standards for politicians in the other party than in their own when it comes to respect and compromise.
Republicans who did not agree with the tea party during Obama era were somewhat less likely to remain affiliated with GOP years later. Republicans who had positive views of the tea party movement in 2014 or 2015 were among Trump’s most enthusiastic backers during the 2016 campaign.
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?
Overall public views of the fairness of the nation’s tax system have changed only modestly since 2017, before passage of major tax legislation. However, partisan differences on tax fairness have increased considerably since then, and now are wider than at any point in at least two decades.
There are partisan divisions over certain aspects of local news reporting, including whether local journalists should express views on local issues.
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.
Since 2017, the share of Republicans who take a positive view of stricter environmental laws has increased, from 36% then to 45% today.
Partisans have moved apart not just in political values and approaches to addressing issues, but also on the issues they identify as top priorities.
Americans have mixed expectations for 2019. As has been the case since Trump’s election, Republicans are more optimistic than Democrats.
While the 115th Congress was more legislatively active than its recent predecessors, the proportion of substantive to ceremonial legislation was much the same.
