Americans agree to disagree

The Pew Research Center has released an update to its political typology study, a long-running effort to define distinct groups within the American electorate. The latest version of this study – Pew's eighth since 1987 – describes political polarization as the central feature of our present political landscape. The study also identifies public opinion fractures within each party. For example, Republicans are now divided on matters once held as bedrock principles, such as support for business and low taxes and opposition to abortion. Democrats also face internal differences. While Democrats widely share a goal of combating racial inequality, they disagree on whether systemic change is needed to achieve that goal.