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GPT-5Sep 26, 2026openai/gpt-5-2025-08-07
Is political polarization worse than it's been in the past?
Short answer: In the United States, polarization is higher than it’s been in the modern (post‑1970s) era on several key dimensions, but it’s not unprecedented in the sweep of U.S. history.
What’s “worse” today
•Affective polarization: Democrats and Republicans like their own side more and increasingly dislike the other side; that gap has widened markedly since the late 1970s.
•Elite (Congress) polarization: The voting behavior of the two parties in Congress has grown steadily farther apart since the 1970s, producing more party‑line votes, procedural hardball, and gridlock.
•Social sorting/“mega‑identities”: Partisanship now aligns more tightly with race, religion, education, and where people live (urban vs. rural), so there are fewer cross‑pressured or split‑ticket voters than a few decades ago.
•Media environment: Nationalized, always‑on, and filtered information ecosystems make selective exposure and outrage easier, amplifying divisions.
What’s more mixed
•Issue positions among the public: On many specific policies, the average voter is somewhat more sorted by party than in the 1970s–80s, but not dramatically more extreme across the board. Much of the change is people choosing parties that better match their views, not everyone moving to the far left or right.
•Political violence: There have been notable spikes in recent years, but overall levels remain below periods like the late 1960s–early 1970s or the 1850s.
Longer historical perspective
•Clearly worse periods exist. The 1850s (run‑up to the Civil War) and the late 1960s–early 1970s (assassinations, riots, domestic terrorism) featured far more frequent political violence and instability.
•Compared with the mid‑20th‑century “American consensus” era (roughly the 1940s–1960s), today’s partisan and affective divides are much larger.
Bottom line
•Compared to the last 50 years, yes—polarization is near the top by several measures. Compared to the most turbulent eras of U.S. history, no—it has been worse before, especially in terms of violence and breakdown of norms.
If you had a particular country, time period, or type of polarization in mind (voters, politicians, media, or violence), tell me and I can tailor this more precisely.