Democrats and Republicans really don’t like each other.
According to a new Pew Research Center poll released Wednesday, party members from both sides view members of the opposite party negatively, with 70 percent of Democrats saying that Republicans are more “closed-minded” than other Americans. Nearly half of Republicans say Democrats when compared to other Americans, are more immoral, lazy and dishonest.
The poll also revealed that 58 percent of Republicans have a very negative impression of the Democratic Party, the highest number since polls taken in 1994 when the number was at 21 percent.
But, within each party, views are rather favorable, with 67 percent of Democrats saying their fellow party members are more open-minded.
However, these party divides have even translated into the social lives of some Americans.
Among Republicans, they are more likely to say they have fewer friends who identify as Democrats, and those who say they have fewer Democratic friends are more likely to view the opposing party “very coldly.”
“We’ve got people who apparently feel more passionate,” said Karlyn Bowman, senior fellow and research coordinator at the American Enterprise Institute.
It’s not a new information regarding the tensions between the two parties, said Bowman, but “these numbers are especially more negative.”
“It could be a marker that nothing is getting done in Washington.”
The poll comes as no surprise during the time of a closely and highly publicized election and with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton attacking each other in key speeches this week.