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

Short answer: In some important ways, yes — but context matters, and the US has seen worse eras historically.

The case that current polarization IS at historic highs (for the modern era):

1.Ideological distance in Congress — a Pew Research Center analysis finds that Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today than at any time in the past 50 years. The overlap that used to exist between parties has disappeared: there used to be many Republicans who were less conservative than the most conservative Democrat, and vice versa, but there is no overlap today — the most liberal Republican is still more conservative than the most conservative Democrat.

2."Affective polarization" (dislike of the other side) is at record levels. The rise of affective polarization—the tendency of partisans to dislike, distrust, and avoid interacting with those from the other party—has reached record high levels, affecting things like where we shop, our friendships, and our romantic lives.

3.International comparisons show the US as an outlier. A 2024 study found the US has experienced the most rapid growth in affective polarization among the general electorate since 1980 among 12 OECD countries considered, with five other countries experiencing smaller increases and six experiencing declines.

4.Party sorting has intensified. Recent Cambridge research found that by 2024, 20% more people in the left‑wing cluster now call themselves Democrats, and 51% more call themselves liberals, than in 1988, while 30% more people in the right‑wing cluster now call themselves Republicans, and 39% more are self-described conservatives compared to the end of the Reagan era. As one researcher put it, "someone with left-wing views on one issue might have held right-wing views on another. That's rarer now."

5.Political identity in the electorate also hit new extremes in 2024, with the shares of Republicans identifying as conservative and Democrats as liberal seeing new highs, even as overall ideological identification stayed steady.

But — important caveats and historical context:

•Researchers emphasize that polarization is not new. One review notes political polarization is not recent, but it is rising in the United States and elsewhere.

•The US has lived through far more violent and existential divisions before — most obviously the Civil War era, but also other periods. A historical review argues the United States has had multiple periods of division before — in some cases, significantly worse than what we have right now.

•Some researchers caution that the feeling of division may outrun the reality: polarization in the US can feel much worse than it is — political groups have moved further apart in recent years, but these divisions are still fuzzy, and Americans are not split into entirely opposing tribes when it comes to the issues.

•There's even tentative evidence of a plateau: one 2024 study found polarisation may have begun to level off during Biden's term, although it remains far higher than previous decades.

Bottom line: By most quantitative measures used since the 1970s–1990s (congressional ideological distance, partisan animosity/"affective polarization," and party sorting), the US is at or near historic highs for the modern/post-WWII era, and the pace of increase has been unusually fast compared to peer democracies. However, this doesn't necessarily mean it's the most divided the country has ever been in absolute terms — periods like the Civil War, Reconstruction, and parts of the Gilded Age arguably involved deeper, more violent ruptures. What's distinctive about today is less the raw intensity of division and more how deeply polarization now permeates everyday social life — friendships, where people shop, who they date — rather than being confined mostly to policy debates or elite politics.

Citations (12)

1pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
The polarization in today’s Congress has roots that go back decades
Source excerpt: “Indeed, a Pew Research Center analysis finds that, on average, Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically today than at any ... # The ...”
2dividedwefall.orgNot yet classified
Political Polarization in America: A Historical Analysis
Source excerpt: “Whereas there used to be many Republicans who were less conservative than the most conservative Democrat, and vice versa, there is no overlap today. T...”
3ncbi.nlm.nih.govAcademic
How Affective Polarization Shapes Americans’ Political Beliefs: A Study of Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Source excerpt: “A defining feature of 21^st^ century American politics is the rise of affective polarization – the tendency of partisans to dislike, distrust, and avo...”
4ncbi.nlm.nih.govAcademic
How Affective Polarization Shapes Americans’ Political Beliefs: A Study of Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Source excerpt: “Today, such partisan discord has reached record high levels (Pew Research Center [24]) and it affects many apolitical aspects of our lives: for exampl...”
5knowablemagazine.orgNews and media
Why are we so politically polarized? Here’s what research says
Source excerpt: “The US has experienced the most rapid growth in affective polarization among the general electorate since 1980 among the 12 OECD countries considered ...”
6cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards
Source excerpt: “By 2024, 20% more people in the left‑wing cluster of the population now call themselves Democrats, and 51% more call themselves liberals, than in 1988...”
7cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards
Source excerpt: “Dr David Young said: “In the past, someone with left-wing views on one issue might have held right-wing views on another. That’s rarer now.” ”
8gallup.comCompanies
U.S. Political Parties Historically Polarized Ideologically
Source excerpt: “While Americans' overall ideology held steady in 2024, the shares of Republicans identifying as conservative and Democrats as liberal saw new highs. ”
9ncbi.nlm.nih.govAcademic
Application of the Three-Group Model to the 2024 US Elections
Source excerpt: “While not recent [[935]], it is rising in the United States and elsewhere. ”
10cpreview.orgNot yet classified
Indivisible Issues: What Our Past Can Tell Us About Polarization Now — Columbia Political Review
Source excerpt: “There would be other, notable developments in the following years—Newt Gingrich and the 1994 Republican Revolution, 9/11 and the Iraq War, social medi...”
11cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards
Source excerpt: “However, De-Wit argues that polarisation in the US can feel much worse than it is. “Political groups have moved further apart in recent years, but the...”
12cam.ac.ukAcademic
Political division in the US surged from 2008 onwards
Source excerpt: “The study, which goes up to 2024, shows that this polarisation may have begun to level off during Biden’s term, although it remains far higher than pr...”