Political Polarization and Why We Aren’t As Different As We May Think

The political system of the United States has two main parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. The concept of political polarization describes how over the last 25 years, the Democratic party has become more “left-winged” while the Republican party has become more “right-winged”. 

Today, the major parties, created to unite us, have fabricated a cross-fire between platforms, discouraging conversation, and dehumanizing the other side. 

The Political Polarization Our Framers Feared 

While the constitution doesn’t explicitly state that the United States must stay a two-party system, it always will be since it is rooted in the integrity of our country. Additionally, our simple plurality voting system discourages people to vote for a third party because if their candidate doesn’t win, their vote will not count. America is now the divided Republic the framers feared. 

But perhaps this divide is not as drastic as it appears. Though there is some attempt to dehumanize the opposing side, we are all part of the same nation. We share passions and ambitions. Hence, it would be ridiculous to assume that one shares no ideals with someone who stands on the other side of the line.

So why do we believe in this divide? Why do we refuse to associate with those on the other side of the line? And why, despite all the information we have access to, do we feel that political polarization is at its worst since the Civil War?

The Perception Gap

It is simply our lack of perception of the other side that has produced this false perception of political extremity. A study by More in Common showed that while 34% of Republicans hold extremist political views, democrats believed that this was 53%. Likewise, Republicans believed that 56% of Democrats hold extremist views, yet the reality is closer to 29%. 1 The assumption of extremist political views on opposing sides, thinking the other perspective is inherently brain-washed, results in people refusing to converse with other parties, which only further grows this “perception gap”. 

The danger of the perception gap is apparent as the United States grows more divided. 

Regarding the 2020 presidential campaign, political conversations are especially sensitive; even more so after major conflicts fleshed out after the BLM protests starting in June of 2020. Therefore, being aware of this perception gap is the first step in the right direction towards a more unified union. If you are more interested in learning about this, More in Common has provided a quiz to determine your perception gap so that we as a society can be more educated on the issues that divide us. 

Why Do We Believe We Are Different?

Political Activism

Major political voices in the world today hold extremist views on either side, which leads people to believe that the members of either party hold the same perspective. Now while political polarization has grown in the past 20 years, much of the general public remains moderate.

The Pew Research Center has surveyed 10 questions since 1994 regarding the political ideology of Americans. The graphs below show how ideological consistency has seen a rise primarily with those who are more politically engaged.  

[See interactive on the Pew Research site.]

The Lack of Conversation

It’s human nature to want to converse with people who agree with you. In any instance, if you were to join a group, you would be keener on the people within your group than those outside of it. The same works for political parties, except on a much bigger scale. People tend to distrust or have negative feelings towards people who do not hold the same perspective. This creates our own confirmation bias. Since we are only speaking with people holding the same views, we automatically believe that we are in the right. 

Additionally, once people split into these groups, they start to shift their beliefs to match the majority. 2 And as these smaller groups become more polarized due simply to the lack of conversation between ideas, the whole of society becomes more divided. 

[Image from PRRI “American Democracy in Crisis: The Fate of Pluralism in a Divided Nation”]

In 1960, 4% of Republicans and 4% of Democrats said they would be displeased if their son or daughter married someone of the opposite party. 3 

[Image from PRRI “American Democracy in Crisis: The Fate of Pluralism in a Divided Nation”]

In 2019, 45% of Democrats said they would be unhappy if their child married a Republican and 35% of Republicans say they would be unhappy if their child married a Democrat. 3

The Media Bubble

Much like real-life groups, people tend to associate with those of their same political ideology online. For example, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok will use algorithms to cater to the user, exposing them to extremist ideologies. Additionally, as Pew Research has found, those who hold a large platform, more often than not, have more extreme ideologies. Additionally, websites such as Facebook have been under fire for the lack of management regarding the misinformation shown on ads. 4 One might be exposed to this political misinformation and believe that everyone on the opposing party agrees. 

How We Aren’t That Different

The main verdict of More in Common is that we perceive bad intentions of those who are outside our circles. “The larger a person’s Perception Gap, the more negative their views are of the other side. People with large Perception Gaps are more likely to describe their opponents as ‘hateful,’ ‘ignorant,’ and ‘bigoted.’” 1  We tend to ignore the similarities and so-called “good parts” and focus on the differences or “bad-parts”. 

How We Can Fix This Divide

The answer is simple. We need to have these tough conversations. To solve a problem we need to acknowledge that it exists. Not everybody has the privilege and opportunity to educate themselves on these issues. Furthermore, the majority of the time, people don’t realize how or why their political views have shifted. We need to pop these media bubbles and step out of our comfort zones to truly realize that we are one of the same people. We all work towards a common goal to become a united nation. It is time to fight back against the perception gap and not assume malice of the other side. 

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