Partisanship & Issues

Americans support protecting the environment, but there are deep partisan divides. And they give other issues, like the economy or terrorism, greater priority.

Nearly four-in-ten Democrats (39%) name Russia as the country that represents the greatest danger to the United States – the highest percentage expressing this view in nearly three decades.

While the party retains its advantage over the Democrats on handling terrorism, it has lost ground on immigration and foreign policy, and 68% of the public sees the Republican Party as “mostly divided.”

The contentious Senate debate over Judge Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court has cast a spotlight on deep partisan and ideological divisions in Congress – and in the public – over how the U.S. Supreme Court should interpret the Constitution when making its decisions.

Large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans say the relationship between the two is unhealthy.

Nearly six-in-ten people in the United States say the economic situation is very or somewhat good, the most positive assessment of the economy since 2007.

Partisans in counties in which their party was politically dominant in the 2016 election were much more likely to support seeking common ground politically.

Lower-income Republicans are somewhat more likely than higher-income Republicans to support the Affordable Care Act, and many say ensuring health care coverage for all is a government responsibility.

People’s level of science knowledge helps to a degree to explain their beliefs about climate and energy issues, but it depends on their partisanship.

The generation gap in American politics is dividing two younger age groups, Millennials and Generation X, from the two older groups, Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation.