Political animosity in the United States today is much higher than at any time previously recorded (with no historical proof that Americans “hate each other more than ever”), due largely to the fact that American politics is now deeply connected to an individual’s identity — values, cultural background, religious affiliation, race, level of formal education, geographic location, and socioeconomic status. As a result, differences over policy can be viewed by individuals on all sides as personal attacks or even existential threats.
A great deal of this “affective polarization” stems from the fact that most Democrats and Republicans have come to distrust, dislike, and distance themselves from members of the opposite party. A growing number of Democratic and Republican voters also see their opponents as dangerous, self-centered, immoral, and/or un-American.
Data showing long-term trends clearly demonstrate that there exists a large and expanding chasm of emotion regarding how people perceive their own party compared to the opposing party.
There are several reasons for these divisions:
1) Parties have become more ideologically segregated
2) Politicians, donors, and media outlets profit from anger and conflict
3) Social-media algorithms favor content that elicits an emotional response and rewards users for sharing repetitive, selective clips and stories that confirm an individual’s identity
4) Russian and Chinese state-linked actors contribute to lies and manipulation on social media, often by amplifying existing American divisions rather than inventing entirely new ones. Their goal is frequently to weaken trust in elections, media, institutions, and fellow citizens—not necessarily to persuade everyone of one specific ideology.
All of these factors can cause the public perception of problems such as crime, immigration and the “culture wars” to expand beyond reality.
Many, if not most, right-wing influencers are masters of deception. For instance, they will often highlight black and immigrant crime while ignoring crime stories where the suspect is white, even colossal ones. And on slow news days, some will even re-post crime stories that are 3, 4, and 5 years old, misleading users into thinking they just recently happened. But, in all fairness, lies and deception aren’t limited to the right.
Real economic uncertainty, high housing and healthcare costs, inequality, demographic changes, and institutional distrust contribute significantly to anxiety among the population.
However, political messaging tends to channel anxiety into zero sum narratives where blame for the current state of affairs is placed squarely upon the opposition.
The further degradation of shared institutions and interpersonal relationships across party lines exacerbates the cycle: Perceived Threat creates anger/avoidance, reduced contact reinforces stereotypes, stereotypes create greater fear. Approximately one third of respondents reported having lost friends or family members because of politics.
However, it is inaccurate to describe America as being split into two unified hostile groups. Activists, media consumers, influences, and partisan voters who are highly involved tend to be more polarized than the general U.S. population which is comprised of many individuals holding mixed opinions about both parties or expressing frustration towards both.
