Voters growing more frustrated with opposite party, want more options

WASHINGTON (TND) — Americans are growing further apart in their political beliefs and are more likely to find people in the opposite party to be a danger to society, according to a large new survey.

A Pew survey of over 6,000 people — a significantly higher sample size than typical public opinion surveys — found both Republican and Democratic voters see people in the opposite party in a negative light.

Seventy-two percent of Republicans said Democrats are more immoral than other Americans, while 63% of Democrats said the same thing about the GOP. It is a significant increase from 2016, when less than half of Republicans gave the same answer, along with 35% of Democrats.

Overall negativity toward the other side of the aisle is up from 2016 regardless of what trait voters were asked about. A majority of Republicans and Democrats said people in the other party are more dishonest and more close-minded than other Americans. Six years ago, less than half in each party said they held that belief.

Antipathy of the other party is the primary driver of why people who identify with a political party do so. For Republicans, 78% said the harm caused by Democratic policies is a major reason why they identify with the GOP, along with 76% who cited the positive impact for party policies. Democrats were a similar case with 68% giving both reasons for their decisions to align with the party.

Deeply negative views about the other side have escalated over the last few decades. In 1994, fewer 25% of voters rated the other party unfavorably. Today, more than half of Democrats and 62% of Republicans said they have a very unfavorable view of each other.

Intense opposition has shown in presidential approval ratings. After former President Donald Trump spent most of his time in office setting new record lows for approval ratings, President Joe Biden has been underwater in approval among voters for a significant chunk of his first year in office. Both Biden and Trump received almost no support from voters in the opposite party, part of a “partisan gap” that has steadily continued since former President Bill Clinton’s time in office.

Along with frustration with each other, voters are also growing tired of the nation’s two ruling parties and are open to more options. Younger voters are particularly interested in adding more parties to the mix, with nearly half of them saying they often wish there were more to choose from. Support for third parties dropped as age increased.

Some of it is partially attributed to unpopularity for both parties after Americans have watched years of partisan gridlock derail and stall legislation that otherwise is popular among the public. The Democratic Party is seen favorably by 41% of respondents, slightly higher than the Republican Party at 37%.

The openness to a new party led a group of Democrats and Republicans to form a third party called the Forward Party, which seeks to appeal to moderate voters who don’t feel like they are represented well in Congress and state legislatures.

The nation’s divide has been on stark display over the last two elections as bitter partisan fights became personal between candidates. Politically motivated violence and threats have increased, leading to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies labeling domestic extremism one of the nation’s greatest threats to its security.

Authorities are investigating the background and social media presence of a man who was killed in a standoff with law enforcement after attempting to enter an FBI building in Cincinnati to see if he is connected to extremist groups. Investigators have also examined his social media for posts that urged political violence after the FBI searched former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

A threat was made on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s life earlier this year after a leaked draft that indicated the court might overturn Roe v. Wade, leading Congress to pass a bill to enhance security for justices as they deal with the consequences of an intense political divide and polarization.