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

Short answer: Yes, by most measures—but with important nuance

The research is fairly consistent: political polarization in the U.S. today is higher than it has been in at least 50 years, and by some measures the highest in over a century—but how bad it is depends on which type of polarization you're measuring.

What the data shows

Congressional/elite polarization has grown dramatically since the 1970s. A Pew Research Center analysis finds that, on average, Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today than at any time in the past 50 years. This is driven by multiple long-term trends: both parties have grown more ideologically cohesive, with now only about two dozen moderate Democrats and Republicans left on Capitol Hill, versus more than 160 in 1971-72.

"Affective polarization" (how much people dislike the other side, as opposed to disagreeing on policy) has risen sharply. One major study found that in 1978, the average American rated members of their own political party 27 points higher than members of the other party, but by 2016, that gap had grown to 45.9 points. More recent data shows this trend accelerating—between 2016 and 2020, affective polarization jumped from 41 to 52.2 degrees on the standard measurement scale.

This growth in dislike-based polarization also appears to be a distinctly American phenomenon. Political polarization among Americans has grown more rapidly in the last 40 years than in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or Germany, and the US has experienced the most rapid growth in affective polarization among the general electorate since 1980 among 12 OECD countries studied, while several other wealthy democracies saw polarization decline over the same period.

Historical context matters

That said, some political scientists push back on "worst ever" framing. Viewed within the context of data from the last two centuries, today's levels of polarization are not such an alarming anomaly compared to those occurring during the time of slavery and other points in history—the Civil War era and the Gilded Age (considered one of the most politically polarized periods in American history, with open political violence and highly polarized political discourse) were arguably worse on ideological and even violent terms.

So the more precise claim is usually: polarization is the worst since Reconstruction-era Congress or the Gilded Age, not literally "worst ever."

An important caveat: perception vs. reality

A growing body of research suggests Americans overestimate how divided they actually are. Political researchers say America is deeply polarized politically, but the problem is not as extreme as people think—surveys show there is a messy majority in the middle who share views that cross partisan lines. Pew's own research finds the "messy middle" makes up about 60% of the electorate, while the groups farthest to the right make up just 21% of the population.

Similarly, a 2024 Cambridge study tracking issue positions since 1988 found that while divisions have genuinely widened, polarization in the US can feel much worse than it is—political groups have moved further apart in recent years, but these divisions are still fuzzy, and Americans are not split into entirely opposing tribes when it comes to the issues. That same study also noted polarization may have begun to level off during Biden's term, although it remains far higher than previous decades.

Bottom line

So yes—by the metrics researchers track most closely (especially partisan animosity and congressional voting patterns), it is worse than in recent historical memory. But it's not unprecedented in the full sweep of American history, and the degree to which ordinary citizens are divided is somewhat exaggerated compared to how divided they feel.