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

Short answer: Yes, in important respects — but it's complicated and depends on what kind of "polarization" you mean.

The case that it's worse than ever

By several measures, the U.S. is at or near historic highs:

•Affective polarization (dislike of the other side) has grown dramatically. In 1994, a majority of Republicans had unfavorable impressions of Democrats, but just 17% had "very unfavorable" opinions, and similarly only 16% of Democrats had very unfavorable views of the GOP. In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994. More recent data shows this trend continuing: the share of Republicans who view Democrats as "very unfavorable" has risen from 17% in 1994 to 62% in 2024, and the mirror image for Democrats is nearly identical.

•Ideological sorting between the parties has intensified. Today, 92% of Republicans are to the right of the median Democrat, compared with 64% twenty years ago, and 94% of Democrats are to the left of the median Republican, up from 70% in 1994. Newer research using machine-learning methods confirms this: the team found statistically significant increases in polarization on every issue, and by 2024, 20% more people in the left-wing cluster called themselves Democrats (51% more called themselves liberals) while 30% more in the right-wing cluster called themselves Republicans (39% more self-described conservatives), compared to the end of the Reagan era.

•Trust and satisfaction gaps between parties are at record levels. There is now a record 40-point gap between Republicans' and Democrats' satisfaction with the system of government. There is a 46 percentage-point gap between Republicans' and Democrats' evaluations of their quality of life, exceeding any prior partisan gap recorded.

•Globally, the U.S. stands out. Political polarization among Americans has grown rapidly in the last 40 years — more than in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or Germany. A Brown University study found by 2016, Americans were rating their own party 45.9 points higher than the other party on average, with negative feelings toward the other party increasing by an average of 4.8 points per decade.

The case for nuance — it's not simply "worse than ever" on every dimension

•Historically, the U.S. has seen worse. The Gilded Age of the late 19th century is considered one of the most politically polarized periods in American history, with open political violence and highly polarized political discourse. That era literally preceded a civil war's aftermath of entrenched one-party regions — a level of division arguably more severe than today's.

•Researchers increasingly distinguish between what people feel and what they actually believe. "Our perceived polarization far outstrips the actual polarization," says one UBC psychology researcher. Surveys back this up: 79% of Americans support Medicare drug price negotiation, 76% support protecting pre-existing conditions coverage, 74% support the PACT Act for veterans, 70% support some form of marijuana decriminalization, and 64% support background checks for all gun purchases — showing substantial cross-partisan agreement on policy specifics even as people despise the "other side" in the abstract.

•Polarization is concentrated among the politically engaged. Polarization in American politics is primarily a phenomenon among Americans who are deeply involved in politics and very expressive about their political views; those not as involved are not as polarized.

•Some scholars argue underlying values haven't shifted much — only party alignment has. A Stanford-presented study found since at least the early 1980s, latent values-based divisions have been divided mostly along moral and religious lines, and the level of disagreement has been remarkably stable, with no evidence of latent polarization increasing over time. Instead, partisan polarization — i.e., how well party affiliation maps onto those existing values — is the more recent development.

•Timing matters. A Cambridge study found almost all the rise in US polarization over political issues since the late 1980s occurred from 2008 onward, with polarization having almost flatlined during the nineties and noughties before divisions steadily rose starting in 2008.

Bottom line

If you're asking about emotional hostility between partisans, elite/legislative polarization, and the size of opinion gaps on hot-button cultural issues, the evidence strongly suggests current levels are higher than at any point in the last 50–100 years of measurement. If you're asking about actual policy agreement among ordinary citizens or comparing to the most violent eras of American history (like the Gilded Age or Civil War era), the picture is less clear-cut — Americans may dislike each other more intensely than they disagree on substance, and today's division, while serious, may not yet rival the most extreme historical episodes.

Citations (18)

1pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Political Polarization in the American Public | Pew Research Center
Source excerpt: “In 1994, hardly a time of amicable partisan relations, a majority of Republicans had unfavorable impressions of the Democratic Party, but just 17% had...”
2pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Political Polarization in the American Public | Pew Research Center
Source excerpt: “In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994. ”
3uspollingdata.comData and tools
Political Polarization in 2026: How Divided Is America, Really?
Source excerpt: “On affective measures, polarization is at historic highs: the share of Republicans who view Democrats as "very unfavorable" has risen from 1...”
4pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Political Polarization in the American Public | Pew Research Center
Source excerpt: “Today, 92% of Republicans are to the right of the median (middle) Democrat, compared with 64% twenty years ago. And 94% of Democrats are to the left o...”
5cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards | University of Cambridge
Source excerpt: “However, the team found statistically significant increases in polarisation on every issue. ”
6cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards | University of Cambridge
Source excerpt: “By 2024, 20% more people in the left‑wing cluster of the population now call themselves Democrats, and 51% more call themselves liberals, than in 1988...”
7brookings.eduNonprofits and think tanks
Historic polarization and historic lows in satisfaction with government, quality of life, and opportunity to get ahead | Brookings
Source excerpt: “There is now a record 40-point gap between Republicans’ and Democrats’ satisfaction with the system of government. ”
8brookings.eduNonprofits and think tanks
Historic polarization and historic lows in satisfaction with government, quality of life, and opportunity to get ahead | Brookings
Source excerpt: “There is now a 46 percentage-point gap between Republicans’ and Democrats’ evaluations of their quality of life. This exceeds any prior partisan gap i...”
9brown.eduAcademic
U.S. is polarizing faster than other democracies, study finds | Brown University
Source excerpt: “PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Political polarization among Americans has grown rapidly in the last 40 years — more than in Canada, the United ...”
10brown.eduAcademic
U.S. is polarizing faster than other democracies, study finds | Brown University
Source excerpt: “By 2016, Americans were rating their own party 45.9 points higher than the other party, on average. In other words, negative feelings toward members o...”
11wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Political polarization in the United States - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “The Gilded Age of the late 19th century (c. 1870 – 1900) is considered to be one of the most politically polarized periods in American history, with o...”
12npr.orgNews and mediaquality 0.93
Political polarization is real, but not as bad as you think : NPR
Source excerpt: “"Our perceived polarization far outstrips the actual polarization," Laurin said. ”
13uspollingdata.comData and tools
Political Polarization in 2026: How Divided Is America, Really?
Source excerpt: “79% of Americans support Medicare drug price negotiation. 76% support protecting pre-existing conditions coverage. 74% support the PACT Act for vetera...”
14wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
Political polarization in the United States - Wikipedia
Source excerpt: “According to Stony Brook University political scientists Yanna Krupnikov and John Barry Ryan, polarization in American politics is primarily a phenome...”
15stanford.eduAcademic
Polarization in the United States Reconsidered | FSI
Source excerpt: “Since at least the early 1980s, the latent values-based clusters have been divided mostly along moral and religious values, and the level of disagreem...”
16stanford.eduAcademic
Polarization in the United States Reconsidered | FSI
Source excerpt: “Partisan polarization, on the other hand, is a more recent development. ”
17cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards | University of Cambridge
Source excerpt: “Almost all the rise in US polarisation over political issues since the late 1980s occurred from 2008 onwards, a new study suggests. ”
18cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards | University of Cambridge
Source excerpt: “The University of Cambridge’s Political Psychology Lab analysed opinions on a wide range of issues – from abortion and equality to traditional values ...”