Political polarization has continued to increase between Democrats and Republicans on a host of hot-button issues, from climate change to immigration, a new Gallup poll finds.
When it came to the issue of the federal government’s exercising too much power, the average Democratic and Republican voters had little difference of opinion in 2003. Today, that gap stands at 50 percentage points.
Similar massive changes in viewpoints appeared on the question of human activity as the main cause of global warming (the Democratic-over-Republican gap has widened by 33 percentage points, with far more Democrats in agreement); abortion being legal under any circumstances and satisfaction with K–12 education (the Democratic-over-Republican gap has widened by 30 percentage points in both cases, with far more Democrats in favor); and decreasing immigration (the Republican-over-Democratic gap has widened by 33 percentage points, with far more Republicans in favor).
Other findings in new Gallup issue polls this week: Huge Dem surge in support for abortion rights post-Dobbs.
Yes, we all know D's support abortion access, R's oppose but that can hide major swings under the surface — and we're seeing it in election after election pic.twitter.com/FaxqIFTtT9
— Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) August 7, 2023
Hyper-partisanship has been particularly pronounced in the growing divide of opinions over the Supreme Court. While more than half of Republicans and Democrats had a favorable opinion of the Court in September 2000, by July 2023, support among Democrats had plummeted to 17 percent. The precipitous drop in Democratic backing occurred largely in the past three years as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and, more recently, the legality of race-based admission policies in higher education.
Although a few Republicans have warmed to the idea of stricter gun regulation, the gap between the two parties on this issue has widened by 24 percentage points. Notably, while over half of all Americans had a considerable degree of confidence in the police, among Democrats, that figured has nose-dived since 2013.
On a few issues, both parties have moved in rough lockstep throughout the preceding two decades, including the legalization of marijuana, the moral acceptability of divorce, having children out of wedlock, the growing approval of Cuba, and a shared dissatisfaction with the state of race relations.
Gallup closed the report by echoing its words from a similar analysis conducted six year earlier: “Republicans and Democrats over the years have increasingly diverged in their opinions on a number of important policy and social issues.”
“That statement remains true today for some issue,” the polling firm continued, but it’s “by no means universal across all lines.”