Depolarization definition

Despite growing polarization, Americans are less likely to express negative feelings toward someone of the other political party if they are told that the other person does not care very much about politics, or if they are asked to focus on other aspects of their identities, like their shared identity as Americans or as fans of the same sports team.

Political polarization has also made it increasingly difficult for people to talk with someone with whom they disagree. Fifty-three percent of Americans say that talking about politics with people they disagree with is “generally stressful and frustrating.” 12

Polarizationdefinition politics

Americans across party lines are increasingly concerned about the negative effects of political polarization and the state of our country. 16 Reforming the policies that shape elections, governance, and the media can help to decrease political polarization, but there are also things that individuals can do:

Polarizationdefinition in Chemistry

85% of Americans are in favor of requiring background checks on people who buy guns through private sales or gun shows. 15

Political polarization is the movement of political views and actions away from the center and toward more extreme views and policies. 1

Polarizationdefinition in communication

Polarizationdefinition in Physics

Ask Yourself:  How do you think polarization might influence the way Americans respond to current issues? How do you think polarization might influence how Americans are able to talk with each other about issues that matter?

Polarizationdefinition psychology

Ask Yourself:  What other individual or policy changes do you think could help to decrease the negative effects of polarization?

PolarizationDefinition history

The United States has two main political parties, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. In the early 1990s, the two parties had more similar policy agendas than they do today and there was more diversity of opinion within each party. Over the last 30 years, the Democratic Party has moved more to the “left,” while the Republican Party has moved more to the “right.” 2 While political polarization is growing in other countries worldwide, it is more dramatic in the United States. 3

In addition, the general public is less divided on a range of issues than in the past. Many policies have bipartisan support, or support from members of both the Republican and Democratic Parties. For example:

Polarization is complex, and scholars are still debating the exact factors that contribute to it. This section highlights four of the many factors that are likely contributing to the rise in polarization.

Political diversity is natural, and polarization is not all bad. The two main political parties in the United States are now more distinct than in previous decades, which gives voters more meaningful choices. 11

Polarizationdefinition biology

Thus, the gap between the policy positions of the Democratic and Republican Parties is growing, and more Americans now identify consistently with the main policy positions of their party than in previous years. 4 People often change their political beliefs to match the positions of their party, which reinforces divides between the parties. 5 Furthermore, the overlap between the political values of Democrats and Republicans shrank between 1994 and 2017, as the share of Americans with ideologically consistent values increased. 6

Politics are complicated, and it is hard to reduce policies to a simple left–right spectrum. The US political parties typically disagree on how much the federal government should regulate the economy, how much power should be given to the federal versus state governments, and how much of a social safety net the government should provide. In general, the left is associated with socially liberal policies and economic policies that create a greater social safety net, while the right is associated with socially conservative policies and less regulation of the economy.

These increasingly deep divides between the political parties in the US are widespread. Sixty-two percent of Republicans and 54% of Democrats had a very unfavorable view of the other party in 2022, which is a higher percentage than it was just five years before. 7

Americans also tend to have greater feelings of dislike toward members of the other political party than they have had in previous years. 1 This is referred to as affective polarization or emotional polarization. 2 Increasing numbers of people now describe those in another political party as close-minded, dishonest, unintelligent, and even immoral. 3

However, as political parties move further toward the poles and people increasingly distrust members of the other political party, it has become difficult for politicians to agree on a way forward. Congress is more likely to be limited by partisan gridlock and have difficulty passing legislation, while campaigns and partisan media can become more divisive.