Political Polarization in the U.S.

In the United States, extreme polarization has made it more difficult for Americans of Blue States and Red States to work together for solutions to the problems besetting the U.S.

America's representative democracy only works when people of differing views can vigorously debate the issues, then compromise and find common ground when the debate reaches an impasse. As the nation has become more polarized, individuals who try to find common ground are punished and our democracy gets stuck in gridlock and dysfunctional.

Extreme polarization has affected other democracies as well as the U.S., from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Poland, Turkey, and several other countries.

"Political Polarization in the American Public. How Increasing Ideological Uniformity and Partisan Antipathy Affect Politics, Compromise and Everyday Life" by the Pew Research Center
https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2014/06/12/political-polarization-…

"Why Political Polarization Grows—And How to Reduce It. The intensity of the problem is relational more than logical or ideological." by Bill Eddy for Psychology Today
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/5-types-of-people-who-can-ruin-…

"How to Understand the Global Spread of Political Polarization. Polarization is shaking societies across the world, from new democracies to long-established ones. Why are political divisions intensifying globally, and what can policymakers learn from other countries’ experiences?" by Thomas Carothers and Andrew O' Donahue for The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
https://carnegieendowment.org/posts/2019/10/how-to-understand-the-globa…