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

Yes, by multiple standard measures—especially in the United States—political polarization is worse than it has been for much of the past several decades (roughly since the mid-20th century post-WWII consensus), and it has reached highs not seen in living memory for peacetime politics. However, it is not entirely unprecedented in U.S. history (e.g., Civil War era or late 19th century), violence and social upheaval were often greater in periods like the 1960s–1970s, and trends are not uniform worldwide or across all dimensions.[1]

Polarization has two main forms: ideological (diverging policy/issue positions) and affective (emotional dislike/distrust of the other side). Both have risen, with elite (congressional) polarization particularly clear and mass (public) trends showing sorting, consistency, and animosity.

Congressional/Elite Polarization

DW-NOMINATE scores (based on roll-call votes) show Democrats and Republicans in Congress farther apart ideologically than at any point in the past 50 years, with essentially no ideological overlap between the parties in the House since the early 2000s (and Senate shortly after). Moderates have nearly vanished (dozens today vs. 160+ in the early 1970s).[2]

Voteview data and related analyses confirm rising party mean differences and declining moderates/overlap over recent decades.[4]

Mass Ideological Polarization and Sorting

Public opinion has polarized less extremely than elites in some views, but gaps have widened substantially:

Some research finds Democrats becoming more heterogeneous post-2010 on certain dimensions, and latent value clusters (e.g., moral/religious) more stable than partisan alignment suggests, but overall partisan ideological distance has grown.[7]

Affective Polarization

This has risen especially sharply in the U.S. and stands out internationally:

Social media and internet use are widely perceived as worsening divisions (rising shares say this in many countries, high and stable in the U.S.).[11]

Historical Context and Caveats

In short, U.S. political polarization—particularly partisan sorting, elite voting cohesion, and mutual dislike—is worse than in the relatively recent past and high by modern democratic standards, contributing to gridlock, eroded norms, and social tension. It echoes earlier American high-polarization eras but occurs in a different media, demographic, and institutional context. Whether it worsens, stabilizes, or reverses depends on leadership, institutions, and events.