How Democrats View Republicans and Vice Versa: More on the National Divorce

The issue of right vs. left is so polarizing that it’s lead to a dangerous rift between Democrats and Republicans.

My earliest memories of politics are tiny video clips and phrases in my head, like:

• My dad saying Bush wasn’t the best choice but at least he wouldn’t take our guns
• My aunts talking about John Kerry and being upset that part of the family wanted to vote for Bush
• Rush Limbaugh on the radio (I think, maybe TV?) at my grandma’s house
• The teacher talking in math class about how the recession would impact our families and how the President was handling it

These are just short little snippets of a bigger problem: how the way someone votes can change the way that person is seen by their peers.

In today’s post, I wanted to look at the research on how each party views the other and inject my own thoughts in. It’s obvious from my posts that I lean left, but typically I do so only where I have enough information to form an opinion. Gut reactions aren’t for me – I’m a logic gal.

My hope is that this post can become a discussion, where people on both sides provide their feelings and feedback. So let’s go!

The Research on Party Alignment and Issues

Pew Research, one of my all-time favorites, released information in 2025 that summarized survey findings when Americans were asked about party alignment and issues. Not just a little bit of information.

Seven entire pages worth.

I’m having a nergasm over here with all the data to sort though!

Let’s start with what we can mostly agree on: Neither party governing honestly and ethically. Here is the research on how Americans responded when asked about political policy enforcement, honesty and integrity, and respecting institutions and traditions:

We can see that no party is seen as overly benevolent when compared to the other. It seems that Americans as a whole don’t entirely trust either side to best represent us.

Breaking it down further, here are some more pointed questions:

An interesting tidbit here. Both parties are almost exactly as likely to think that their party supports policies that interfere with other people’s lives, and the same numbers think the other party does it.

I believe these findings as well. If I had to give my opinion on Republican policies that interfere with other people’s lives, I would point to policies that look to take away rights from LGBTQ+ people and immigrants. I see Republicans in power now actively making it harder for these groups of people to live. It doesn’t interfere so much in my daily life, but I care about those other groups as well.

Republicans might point to gun control laws and higher taxes as interfering in their lives, and thus think Democrat policies are the intrusive ones. It’s all a matter of perspective.

The next bit focuses on how members of each party feel about their party:

I agree with these findings, and I voted democrat in 2024. I think running Biden again and then doing a last-minute switcheroo for Harris was a terrible idea, when facing up with the charismatic Trump. Biden did an okay job in the Presidency, but it was clear that his star was waning almost right away. I think there’s something deeply troubling about the fact that our top leaders are in their 70’s: they’re not creating their own future, they’re leading from their vast experience of the world, but that world has changed from their youth. Biden is clearly declining just as Trump is, and he was a weak candidate for 2024. Harris got my vote, but it was a vote of “I don’t want Trump to win, and I think Harris won’t do any real damage”, not an “I’m proud to vote Harris!” vote.

I’m curious if this sentiment is echoed in other Democrat voters, and that’s why it’s showing up here. The good news is, Pew answered that for me! Here are the reasons why Democrats express frustration.

Opinion is founded in fact. My favorite kind of opinion.

Now for a complicated one: whether Democrats and Republicans agree with their party on each issue:

Interpret it like this: Dark color = strongly agree, light color = somewhat agree. Light grey indicates an answer that says neither party is doing it right.

Breaking the same information down and comparing answers to historical survey, this is what it looks like:

Here’s what I find the most interesting. There is not a single metric where a majority of the party agrees with their party. Crime and immigration policies come closest to majority views for Republicans, while climate and healthcare come the closest for Republicans. In some cases, like the Israel and Ukraine conflicts, we are close to majority with “both parties are doing it wrong”.

I think this is a very telling graphic, showing how there is division not only between the parties, but also inside the parties. Not all Democrats think alike, and not all Republicans do. The general feeling of “don’t vote against your party or face rejection from it” doesn’t spill over into reality. The reality is, there is a wide variety of thought in each party.

Next, here’s a look at how important bipartisanship is to voters:

Greater than 80% of voters on both sides expect their leaders to compromise and respect the other party’s officials.

Here’s another take:

I love this, because I am seeing so much mudslinging from both sides in Congress right now. Here’s an exchange between AOC and Mace on X:

I believe that our representatives have their own free thoughts and will, but if the majority of the voters expect decorum between members, this isn’t it. These outward battles only further distrust in the parties. Mace started it, so I’d say AOC had to respond. This isn’t, however, a fight between my two kids. It’s not about who started it and who has to say sorry – it’s that it happened at all. IMO attacking other congressmembers should happen outside the public’s eye.

We also have bipartisan agreement that we should support across the aisle and accept policies that serve us best, regardless of who initiates them. This metric gives me hope, because even though we see highly publicized infighting and outfighting from both parties, most Americans have a reasonable view of bipartisan efforts.

This isn’t as strong in the strongest adherents to their party, though:

So it’s likely that if you’re talking to someone who says “All (Republicans|Democrats) are evil”, you’re talking to an extreme end of the scale. Someone who would probably eat horse apples (google it if you don’t know..) if their party told them it was good for them.

Heralding back to my comment about how the world has changed since our most powerful leaders were in their youth, adults under 50 are most likely to say neither party represents them well.

It seems that younger voters are seeing antiquities in either parties that no longer serve their own interests. The two parties have been around since ~1820’s, so it’s no wonder there is baggage from a previous world that influences the party. The precedent is set, and just like in court, it’s hard to vote against it.

Final Thoughts

This post honestly gave me a little hope! The majority of Americans agree on bipartisanship and express a desire for their leaders to work across the board and act with respect.

It’s my belief that the two-party system is required for checks and balances, but clearly there are some pain points in both parties (especially among young voters) that are preventing them from truly representing “we the people”.

I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts on how we can work to repair the rift between parties, and renew each party to best represent their younger voters.

Thanks for reading!