Newsletter August 18, 2022

Are Americans Hopelessly Divided Over Politics?

Daniel A. Cox

Partisan hostility is at an all-time high, but things are not quite as bad as they seem

Every new poll seems to bring more bad news about the state of American politics. Most recently, the Pew Research Center released a new survey showing Democrats and Republicans hate each other more this year than they did last. The report states: “Growing shares in each party now describe those in the other party as more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.” 

I’m not going to suggest that the American political system is in great shape, but things are probably not quite as bad as they seem. Why? Well, too often the political news and information are presented in ways that highlight division and exaggerate differences. Let me explain.

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