Is political polarization worse than it's been in the past?

The answer to whether political polarization is worse than in the past depends entirely on which era of history you are comparing it to.

If you are comparing today to the recent past (the last 50 to 60 years), yes, polarization is significantly worse.

However, if you look at deep history (specifically the mid-19th century), no, it is not worse than the period surrounding the American Civil War.

A breakdown of the historical data, the types of polarization we experience today, and how our current era fits into the broader arc of history illustrates this dynamic.

1. The Recent Past (Post-1970s): A Dramatic Rise

When looking at the post-World War II and post-Watergate eras, political scientists agree that we are living through a period of historic division. On almost every metric, polarization has risen sharply over the last several decades:

•Congressional Gridlock: According to DW-NOMINATE data (which tracks legislative voting patterns), Democrats and Republicans in Congress are farther apart ideologically today than at any point in the last 50 years. Ideological moderates in both parties have virtually vanished.

•The 2008 Inflection Point: Research, including a study from the University of Cambridge, shows that while polarization remained relatively flat during the 1990s and early 2000s, it surged by roughly 64% after 2008. This surge was heavily driven by the left moving in a significantly more socially progressive direction, while the right remained relatively stable in its conservative positions but grew highly mobilized.

•An Exceptional U.S. Trend: A major study by economists at Brown and Stanford universities found that while some level of political division is rising globally, the United States is an outlier. The pace at which Americans’ feelings toward the opposing party have worsened over the last 40 years is far faster and more severe than in other established democracies like Canada, the UK, Germany, or Australia.

2. Deep History: The 19th-Century Benchmarks

While current divisions are alarming, American history has seen periods of even more extreme and destructive polarization:

•The Civil War Era (1850s–1860s): This remains the absolute peak of American political polarization. During this time, polarization was not just about angry rhetoric or gridlock—it led to actual physical violence on the floor of Congress (such as the near-fatal cane beating of Senator Charles Sumner in 1856) and ultimately a war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

•The Reconstruction Era (1870s): Following the Civil War, the country remained bitterly divided. Legislative polarization in the late 1870s was so high that today’s Congress is often described as being at its most polarized level since that era.

•The Gilded Age (1880s–1890s): The late 19th century closely mirrors today’s political environment in terms of staggering income inequality, rapid technological change, and fierce partisan battles. However, historians note a key difference: during the Gilded Age, the division was largely fought over political spoils, patronage, and corruption rather than deeply divergent national policy ideologies.

3. Why It Feels So Much Worse: Affective Polarization

To understand modern division, political scientists distinguish between two types of polarization:

1.Ideological Polarization: Disagreement on actual policy issues (e.g., taxes, healthcare, climate change).

2.Affective Polarization: The emotional dislike, distrust, and animosity felt toward members of the opposing political party.

While Americans still share more common ground on individual policy issues than they realize, affective polarization has skyrocketed.

According to Pew Research Center data, the percentage of Democrats and Republicans who view the opposing party not just as "wrong," but as "immoral" and an existential threat to the nation, has nearly doubled over the past decade. This "us versus them" tribalism is supercharged by modern media fragmentation, social media algorithms that thrive on outrage, and geographic sorting (where people increasingly live only near those who share their political views).

The Bottom Line

Political polarization in the United States has reached its highest level in roughly 150 years. If you feel that politics are more hostile and divided than they have been in your lifetime, you are factually correct. However, the country has survived even deeper chasms in the past—most notably the Civil War—proving that while our current era is exceptionally divided, it is not entirely unprecedented.

Citations (13)

1usc.eduAcademic
usc.edu
Backs: “If you are comparing today to the recent past (the last 50 to 60 years), yes, polarization is significantly worse.”
2pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
pewresearch.org
Backs: “If you are comparing today to the recent past (the last 50 to 60 years), yes, polarization is significantly worse.”
3democracyproject.orgNonprofits and think tanks
democracyproject.org
Backs: “However, if you look at deep history (specifically the mid-19th century), no, it is not worse than the period surrounding the American Civil War.”
4reddit.comForums and Q&A
reddit.com
Backs: “However, if you look at deep history (specifically the mid-19th century), no, it is not worse than the period surrounding the American Civil War.”
5cam.ac.ukAcademic
cam.ac.uk
Backs: “The 2008 Inflection Point: Research, including a study from the University of Cambridge, shows that while polarization remained relatively flat during the 1990s and early 2000s, it surged by roughly 64% after 2008.”
6brown.eduAcademic
brown.edu
Backs: “An Exceptional U.S. Trend: A major study by economists at Brown and Stanford universities found that while some level of political division is rising globally, the United States is an outlier.”
7cfr.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cfr.org
Backs: “The Gilded Age (1880s–1890s): The late 19th century closely mirrors today’s political environment in terms of staggering income inequality, rapid technological change, and fierce partisan battles. However, historians note a key difference: during the Gilded Age, the division was largely fought over political spoils,…”
8cambridge.orgAcademic
cambridge.org
Backs: “However, historians note a key difference: during the Gilded Age, the division was largely fought over political spoils, patronage, and corruption rather than deeply divergent national policy ideologies. 3. Why It Feels So Much Worse: Affective Polarization”
9baypath.eduAcademic
baypath.edu
Backs: “However, historians note a key difference: during the Gilded Age, the division was largely fought over political spoils, patronage, and corruption rather than deeply divergent national policy ideologies. 3. Why It Feels So Much Worse: Affective Polarization”
10wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “Ideological Polarization: Disagreement on actual policy issues (e.g., taxes, healthcare, climate change). Affective Polarization: The emotional dislike, distrust, and animosity felt toward members of the opposing political party.”
11nih.govGovernment
nih.gov
Backs: “While Americans still share more common ground on individual policy issues than they realize, affective polarization has skyrocketed. According to Pew Research Center data, the percentage of Democrats and Republicans who view the opposing party not just as "wrong," but as "immoral" and an existential threat to the…”
12wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “According to Pew Research Center data, the percentage of Democrats and Republicans who view the opposing party not just as "wrong," but as "immoral" and an existential threat to the nation, has nearly doubled over the past decade. This "us versus them" tribalism is supercharged by modern media fragmentation, social…”
13syr.eduAcademic
syr.edu
Backs: “According to Pew Research Center data, the percentage of Democrats and Republicans who view the opposing party not just as "wrong," but as "immoral" and an existential threat to the nation, has nearly doubled over the past decade. This "us versus them" tribalism is supercharged by modern media fragmentation, social…”