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

Short answer: Yes, by most measures—especially in the United States

Political polarization is genuinely worse than it's been in recent history, though the picture is nuanced depending on how you measure it.

Affective polarization (how much people dislike the "other side") is at record highs

This is where the data is clearest. Pew Research found that Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines and partisan antipathy is deeper and more extensive than at any point in recent history. Specifically, in 1994, a majority of Republicans had unfavorable impressions of the Democratic Party, but just 17% had very unfavorable opinions. That number has grown dramatically since—one analysis notes 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.

A comparative Brown University study put this in global context: political polarization among Americans has grown rapidly in the last 40 years—more than in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or Germany. The researchers quantified this using a "feeling thermometer": in 1978, the average American rated members of their own party 27 points higher than the other party; by 2016, that gap had grown to 45.9 points.

Congressional/legislative polarization is also at multi-decade highs

Academic research analyzing voting records confirms this isn't just perception. A study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface found that the polarization of political opinions among members of the US legislative chambers measured by their voting records is greater today than it was 30 years ago. Ideological sorting has also increased: Gallup data shows in 2024, the shares of Republicans identifying as conservative and Democrats identifying as liberal both reached record highs, and Democrats' liberal identification has more than doubled over the past 30 years.

Geographic and social sorting is accelerating the divide

Americans are increasingly clustering with like-minded neighbors, which reduces cross-party contact. One analysis notes that the share of Americans in "landslide counties" grew from 39% (1992) to 57% (2024), limiting cross-partisan exposure.

But there's an important nuance: issue polarization vs. affective polarization

Not everyone agrees the underlying policy disagreements have grown as much as the emotional hostility. Interestingly, one analysis points out that despite intense partisan hatred, there's often broad cross-party agreement on specific policies—things like Medicare drug price negotiation or protections for pre-existing conditions poll well across party lines. This suggests much of today's polarization is less about substantive policy disagreement and more about identity and tribalism—hating the "other side" as a group, not necessarily disagreeing more on issues.

A counterpoint: this could be a return to "normal"

A few researchers argue that today's intense partisanship isn't unprecedented if you zoom out further. One long-view analysis suggests the high polarization we see today may seem extreme compared to the recent past, but viewed against the entire nation's history, this could just be the country returning to "normal" politics—referencing eras like the lead-up to the Civil War, which were arguably far more polarized than anything since.

Bottom line

If you're comparing to the mid-20th century (roughly 1950s–1980s)—often considered a relative low point in partisan hostility—then yes, polarization today, particularly affective polarization (dislike/distrust of the other party), is clearly worse and at record levels in the modern polling era. If you compare to the most divisive periods in American history overall, the current moment may be intense but not unprecedented.