2020 election reveals a country deeply divided

Plus, before 2020, U.S. trailed most developed countries in voter turnout November 7, 2020 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ 2020 election reveals two broad voting coalitions fundamentally at odds If one early takeaway from the election is historic voter participation, another may be the continuing political polarization that has come to define the United States. The elected officials who take the oath of office in Washington in January will be representing two broad coalitions of voters who are deeply distrustful of one another and who fundamentally disagree over policies, plans and even the very problems that face the country today. Americans’ prescription for the nation starts with neighborliness Even before the historic challenges of 2020, Americans saw the building blocks of their society and political culture in deep distress. Yet amid the bleak assessments, there is some hope. Most Americans say public confidence in the federal government, the news media and their fellow citizens can be improved, with many urging changes in interpersonal behavior. Read more from Pew Research Center in RealClearPolitics. Amid pandemic, the long decline of in-person voting on Election Day likely accelerated this year In 1996, 89.5% of voters reported voting in person on Election Day. As recently as 2006, that share was 80.4%. But then the in-person Election Day portion of the vote began to skid, falling below 60% in each election cycle since 2014. The decline likely continued this year amid widespread early and absentee voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. In past elections, U.S. trailed most developed countries in voter turnout How does voter turnout in the United States compare with turnout in other countries? That depends very much on which country you’re looking at and which measuring stick you use. Two-thirds of U.S. adults say they’ve seen their own news sources report facts meant to favor one side Many Americans are concerned about the media reporting inaccurate or incomplete information. And that includes information reported by their own most-used news sources. After surging in 2019, migrant apprehensions at U.S.-Mexico border fell sharply in fiscal 2020 How Catholics around the world see same-sex marriage, homosexuality From our research 85% The share of Americans who say Donald Trump and Joe Biden supporters cannot agree on basic facts about important issues facing the country. Support Pew Research Center In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support Pew Research Center with a contribution on the Center's behalf to our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts. DONATE Newsletter preferences View in browser Unsubscribe Facebook Twitter Instagram Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2020 Pew Research Center