Answers

Is polarization worse now? I'll pull historical trends and research to compare today to the past. Short answer: Compared to the recent past - the last 30 to 50 years - yes, dramatically so. Compared to the most distant past - the Civil War era - no. Research distinguishes several kinds of polarization, but most measures show a sharp increase in recent decades: 1. By recent historical standards

Polarization today feels worse than ever — I'll compare current data to history to see if it actually is. It is, and it isn't - it depends on the timeframe you use. 1. Compared to the last 50 years: Yes, it is worse than ever By most modern quantitative measures, U.S. polarization is at a recent historic high: Pew Research Center analysis finds that, on average, Democrats and Republicans are