More Americans have become increasingly and deeply divided by political party over roughly the past quarter-century. Last November’s election showed just how evenly split and polarized we are. Polarization is no longer news (see these 2012 and 2017 posts). But, what is new in the last few years is the tidal wave of research helping us understand the nature, history, breadth, and sources of this development. More has come into focus, especially on the connection between politics and personal identity. Journalist Ezra Klein’s 2020 book, Why We’re Polarized, is an excellent, informed analysis. I use this post to bring in newer work and insights to describe, especially for the general reader, what happened. In Part 2 I will address polarization’s explanations, prognoses, and policies.
The bumper-sticker version of what follows is that division along party lines has spread from politics to many seemingly apolitical and private realms. Polarization has become deeper and more bitter as party identity–being a Democrat versus a Republican–has absorbed more and more of Americans’ other identities. Continue Reading »