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

Yes, by most objective measures, political polarization—particularly in the United States—is worse now than it has been in decades, though the picture is nuanced and depends on how you measure it and over what timeframe.

Congressional/Elite Polarization

At the level of elected officials, the data is fairly unambiguous. Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today than at any time in the past 50 years. This has been building for decades: both parties have grown more ideologically cohesive, with only about two dozen moderate Democrats and Republicans left on Capitol Hill, versus more than 160 in 1971-72.

Some researchers put this in even starker historical terms. Following a period of a much more balanced Congress during the middle of the 20th century, ideological distance between the parties began to grow during the 1970s to the extent that Congress is now more polarized than at any time since the late 1870s Reconstruction Era. That said, some scholars caution that 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 similar points along the historical continuum.

Mass Public Polarization

Among ordinary citizens, a 2026 University of Cambridge study tracking nearly four decades of data found that divisions within the US population on social and political issues have increased by 64% since 1988, with almost all this coming after 2008, with polarization almost flatlining during the nineties and noughties. This suggests the "worse than the past" framing is accurate specifically for the post-2008 period, rather than a steady decades-long climb.

Ideological identification has also hit new extremes: in 2024, the shares of Republicans identifying as conservative and Democrats identifying as liberal both reached record highs.

Affective/Emotional Polarization

Perhaps the most dramatic shift has been in how partisans feel about each other, rather than just where they stand on issues. Americans tend to have greater feelings of dislike toward members of the other political party than they have had in previous years—referred to as affective or emotional polarization—with increasing numbers of people describing those in another political party as close-minded, dishonest, unintelligent, and even immoral.

Pew data illustrates just how quickly this has intensified: Americans increasingly see the country as more divided than at any time since the Civil War, and polling reveals a sharp rise in partisan hostility—in 2022, 72% of Republicans and 63% of Democrats viewed the opposing party as more immoral than other Americans, up dramatically from 47% and 35% in 2016.

An Important Caveat: Is It Overstated?

Interestingly, some researchers argue the perception of polarization outpaces the reality. The same Cambridge study noted that polarization in the US can feel much worse than it is, as political groups have moved further apart in recent years, but these divisions may not be as extreme as public discourse suggests. Consistent with this, other research notes that the general public is less divided on a range of issues than in the past, and many policies have bipartisan support from members of both parties.

International Context

The U.S. also stands out globally. Recent survey data shows the share of people who consider themselves on the far left or far right of the political spectrum is particularly high in the United States, with 15% placing themselves on the far left and 20% on the far right of a 10-point scale—compared to much smaller shares in countries like Germany. This aligns with earlier research finding that while political polarization is growing in other countries worldwide, it is more dramatic in the United States.

Bottom Line

The honest answer is: it depends on what you're measuring. Elite/congressional polarization is at its highest point in roughly 50 years (and by some measures, since Reconstruction). Affective polarization—how much partisans dislike and distrust each other—has risen sharply since 2016. Mass public polarization on policy issues shows a more modest but still significant increase, concentrated mainly since 2008. However, some scholars push back on the narrative that things are unprecedented, noting that raw policy disagreement among ordinary citizens may be somewhat overstated relative to how divided the country feels.