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

Polarization today versus past history — I'll pull current research and historical trends to see what's changed.

Yes, by most modern measures - but with important historical caveats.

1. Compared to the recent past (1970s-present): Yes, worse than ever

Most scholars and polling organizations say polarization is at a modern high:

Two types of polarization are measured:

Affective polarization: dislike and distrust of political out-groups - defined as the tendency for individuals to exhibit animosity toward those on the opposite side of the partisan divide

Ideological polarization: differences between policy positions

Both have increased, but affective polarization has risen most sharply:

Multi-country research confirms the US trend:

> Political polarization among Americans has grown rapidly in the last 40 years—more than in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia or Germany
>Researchers present ... "affective polarization"—a phenomenon in which citizens feel more negatively toward other political parties than toward their own. They found that in the U.S., affective polarization has increased more dramatically since the late 1970s than in the eight other countries they examined

Using a "feeling thermometer" from 0 to 100, in 1978, the average American rated the members of their own political party 27 points higher than members of the other major party. By 2016, Americans were rating their own party 45.9 points higher, an increase of 4.8 points per decade.

Other indicators:

Sociologists describe this as "pluralistic collapse" or "belief consolidation" - where citizens once held idiosyncratic combinations of views that cut across partisan lines, they now increasingly sort into two comprehensive worldview clusters.

2. Compared to the distant past (19th Century / Civil War era): No, not the worst ever

Historians caution against saying today is the most divided ever:

Other analysis notes:

> We have been conditioned to think things are worse now than ever, that abuses, negativity and polarization are worse than ever before. That isn't true. Much of American history shows that the constant state of polarized division and gridlock since 1796 is also when great things can sometimes be accomplished
> The divisions are now deeper, even than they were in the 19th century - some scholars argue the opposite, while others say cumulative violence was worse a half century ago, with assassinations and bombings, indicating debate.

3. Nuance: What is being polarized?

Researchers distinguish:

In short: If "the past" means the last 50-80 years since the post-World War II consensus of the 1950s-1960s, polarization is unequivocally worse now and accelerating faster than in any comparable democracy. If "the past" includes the 1850s-1860s Civil War era or the Gilded Age, historians generally say those periods were more violently and fundamentally divided than today.