Republicans are more likely than Democrats to have a close friend on the other side of the political aisle, a poll released Friday showed.
The poll found that 82% of Republicans have at least one close friend on the Left, compared to 64% of Democratic respondents. While the majority of voters on both sides have friends across the aisle, the bulk of respondents who claim they do not have close cross-party friendships are particularly younger voters.
The poll also found that respondents who identified themselves as moderates were also expected to have a close friend in a different political party. For instance, self-identified moderate Republicans were 8% more likely to have a close friend in the Democratic Party than conservative Republicans. In parallel, the poll found that moderate Democrats were more 21% likely to have a close Republican friend than liberal Democrats.
REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS DIFFER ON HIGHER EDUCATION BIAS
Among voters who identified as “core” members of their political party, 77% of Republicans have a close friend in the opposite party, and only 57% of Democrats have a close Republican friend. On the contrary, when it came to “soft” members of their political parties, the chances of members having cross-aisle friendships jumped by 16% among Democrats and 13% among Republicans.
Factors such as college education, gender, and age did not have a significant effect on the probability of the respondents having cross-party relationships. Factors such as religion, however, did. Republicans who frequented religious gatherings were 10% less likely to have a close friend in the Democratic Party than Democrats who regularly attended religious services.
The growing rift between Democrats and Republicans signals a growing trend of increasing political polarization and hostility in the United States.
Study results released by the National Institutes of Health this May identified an increase in the “partisan dislike among Democrats,” toward Republicans, suggesting that liberals “display greater outgroup hostility” than conservatives.
Through an examination of blocking on social media and rating the likability and hiring suitability of various targets, the NIH uncovered that “liberals” dislike “conservatives” more than vice versa.
Following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the hostility between partisan groups has only increased.
MAGAZINE: YOUNG VOTERS ARE GROWING MORE TOLERANT OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE
A Politico-Public First poll released in October revealed 36% of adults under the age of 24 maintain the belief that “there are some instances where violence is justified” when it comes to politics.
Thirty-five percent of respondents between the ages of 25 and 34, and 34% of respondents between the ages of 35 and 44, believe so too. Among older respondents, the number falls to 21% for individuals between the ages of 45 and 54, 16% for those in the 55- to 64-year-old age range, and 7% for those 65 and older.
