Responses

[[1]](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1114750)[[2]](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/feature/political-polarization-1994-2017/)[[3]](https://voterproject.arizona.edu/understanding-affective-polarization)[[4]](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/)Yes, in several key measurable dimensions—particularly

Yes, in several key measurable ways—particularly among political elites, in partisan sorting, and in affective (emotional) dislike of the other side—political polarization in the United States is worse than it has been for much of the past century, and it ranks among the highest levels in U.S. history outside of extreme periods like the Civil War era. However, it is not unprecedented, absolute lev

Is polarization really worse than before? I'll gather historical data to compare today's divide with past eras. In short: Yes, compared to the last 50-80 years - but No, compared to the 19th century. Political scientists distinguish between types of polarization, and the answer depends on which you mean and what time period you compare to. 1. In the last 50 years, yes - by almost every measure

Yes, by multiple key metrics, political polarization in the United States is higher now than it has been for much of the past several decades (especially since the mid-20th century bipartisan era), and in some elite-level measures it exceeds most of the post-Reconstruction period—though it is not unprecedented in American history and falls short of the existential divisions of the Civil War era.