September 2024

There seems to be no quenching the thirst of Americans looking to be connected and entertained.  Whether it be the twenty-four-hour cycle of cable networks purporting to be news, social media, or podcasts, the opportunities are almost endless.  In addition to endless choices, we can choose the outlets that feed our implicit and conscious biases.  More alarming, if we don’t choose based on our biases, computer algorithms will help nudge us along.  Something that these outlets all seem to share, is spreading the message of how completely polarized we have become as a nation.

Now, I won’t claim that divisiveness doesn’t appear to be on the rise, but are we really all that different?  Recent research from PEW shows that when Americans are asked to choose one word to describe politics today the most popular response is divisive.  It’s true that on this policy or that policy people who call themselves conservatives or liberals still disagree on many of the same issues we have for decades.  These are the classic debates or the classic dividers, but there are also a whole lot of things we actually agree on.

For starters, we tend to worry about the same kinds of things.  How artificial intelligence will affect our world, getting scammed, and we worry that our kids spend too much time on their phones.  And no matter the particular political party we align ourselves with we all tend to have positive feelings toward similar things.  Statistically, we all seem to love the National Park Service, we like NASA, and even the U.S. Postal Service.  Then there are the things most of us universally dislike.  We are not big fans of people having affairs, the idea of cloning humans, or even Kim Jong Un.

The similarities go even further.  Almost all of us watch fireworks on the 4th of July, leave tips for servers (or say we do), keep our phones nearby at all times, and decorate our homes for major holidays.  We have common beliefs.  We believe in the freedom of speech and the right to privacy, and that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.  Above all, we fiercely believe that everyone deserves equal treatment under the law. 

So yes, the angry pundits, entertainment “news” shows, and social media influencers give us the impression that we are a wildly divided country.  Since they say it that’s what we wind up believing.  Recent data shows that compared to ten years ago 77% of Democrats, 85% of Republicans, and 79% of independents believe that we are more divided.  But you know what, we might just be a little wrong about that. 

The idea that we might have it wrong is supported by study after study.  It appears that we have an exaggerated idea of what the “other guys” believe and they have an exaggerated idea about “us”.  For example, a 2018 study found in the University of Chicago Journal of Politics collected some interesting information.  It discovered that Republicans believed that roughly 37% of Democrats were Union members, while the actual number was 11%.  Meanwhile, Democrats believed that 33% of Republicans earn more than $250,000 a year.  The real number?  It was 2%.

So it's true, when it comes down to it, we are not as far apart as we think we are.  And that is the reality.  The socials, news outlets, and cable media play up the us-versus-them narrative of political polarization.  Whether the reasons are something nefarious, or the simple fact that we as consumers drive that delivery with our increased consumption of divisive information.  Regardless of the cause, we can choose to understand each other better and in this age of algorithms, keep fighting for human connection.