PEW Study: Partisan Polarization Surges in Bush, Obama Years

June 4, 2012
“As Americans head to the polls this November, their values and basic beliefs are more polarized along partisan lines than at any point in the past 25 years. Unlike in 1987, when this series of surveys began, the values gap between Republicans and Democrats is now greater than gender, age, race or class divides.

Overall, there has been much more stability than change across the 48 political values measures that the Pew Research Center has tracked since 1987. But the average partisan gap has nearly doubled over this 25-year period — from 10% in 1987 to 18% in the new study.”

Read the full report which includes detailed findings on these subjects:

See also a slideshow summarizing the survey’s key findings and an interactive database containing the full history of the values studies.

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