Polarization-2014.zip

Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Typology famously identifies groups like "Faith and Flag Conservatives," "Progressive Left," "Establishment Liberals," "Populist Right," and "Stressed Sideliners." This reveals the significant diversity of opinion within each party's coalition that is hidden by traditional binary analysis.

Key Metrics of Polarization: The survey measures:

Ideological Consistency: How often an individual's views align across issues (e.g., economic, social, foreign policy) with a typical liberal or conservative perspective.

Affective Polarization: The feelings and attitudes partisans hold toward those in the opposing party (e.g., trust, willingness to socialize, perceptions of the other side's morality).

The "Center": It identifies who, if anyone, still holds a mix of liberal and conservative views and how they engage with politics.

Significance: This research is critical for understanding the modern American political landscape. It explains the internal pressures on political parties, the challenges of governance, and the social divides that extend beyond voting. It's used by strategists, academics, and journalists to explain political behavior with far greater sophistication.

Access: The full Typology reports, interactive quizzes ("Find Your Typology Group"), and datasets are some of the most popular and accessible materials on the Pew Research Center's website. Searching for "Political Typology" will lead directly to the latest findings. These studies are typically released every few years.