Protesters shout slogans and wave placards against President Donald Trump during a "Rise and Resist Against White Supremacy" demonstration inside Grand Central Station in New York on Sept. 18. | Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Study: Both parties gripped by deep divisions

The country is as politically polarized as it's ever been. And the divisions are almost as bad within the parties themselves.

That's the takeaway from the Pew Research Center’s latest political typology report, released Tuesday, which shows a Republican coalition split over immigration, the nation’s role in the world and whether the U.S. economic system is fair — even if the most vociferous Republicans, despite their differences, approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance. These divergences underscore the challenges Trump and the GOP have had in implementing a legislative agenda.


Similarly, Democratic-leaning groups are in near-lockstep when it comes to disapproving of Trump. But there are important differences in how involved the U.S. should be in global affairs, as well as on religious and social issues.

The most solid liberals — who make up about half of politically active, Democratic-leaning Americans — are also the most energized Americans about politics, the report finds: Nearly half say they have contributed to a political candidate or campaign in the past year, and almost 4 in 10 say they have participated in a protest against Trump’s policies.

“While partisanship obviously is such a dominant force, [what] we do find really interesting [is] fissures between both partisan coalitions,” said Carroll Doherty, director of political research at the Pew Research Center. “This presents a lot of challenges to both partisan coalitions, both electorally and in how they attempt to govern.”

The study is based on surveys of more than 5,000 adults conducted over the summer.

Here are the nine cohesive groups into which Pew has sorted Americans — who they are and what they believe — from most conservative to most liberal. (Readers can also take a quiz to see where they fall in Pew’s typology.)

POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Core Conservatives (15 percent of registered voters): The most traditional Republican group, “Core Conservatives” are also the most politically engaged. More than 9 in 10 — 93 percent — say they always or nearly always vote in elections.

“Core Conservatives” believe strongly in a smaller government with fewer services: Ninety-two percent say stricter environmental laws and regulations cost too many jobs and hurt the economy, for example, compared with only 37 percent of the general public. Ninety percent say the obstacles that once made it harder for women than men to get ahead are largely gone (compared with just 42 percent of all Americans), and 81 percent say the U.S. has made the changes needed to give blacks equal rights with whites (compared with 35 percent of all Americans).

Two-thirds of “Core Conservatives” are men, and 85 percent are white. While a third of “Core Conservatives” have a college degree, more than the other GOP-leaning groups, 80 percent say colleges and universities have a negative effect on the country.

Country First Conservatives (7 percent): This group makes up a smaller share of the GOP coalition. Like “Core Conservatives,” “Country First Conservatives” believe in smaller government. But they are more socially conservative, more skeptical of immigration and more likely to say that too much openness threatens the nation’s identity.

This is the oldest group — 71 percent are age 50 or older — and half of “Country First Conservatives” say they attend church weekly. Only about 15 percent have college degrees, and half haven’t attended college at all.

More than three-quarters, 76 percent, say immigrants today are a burden on the country because they take its jobs, housing and health care, compared with just 26 percent of the general public. And 70 percent say homosexuality should be discouraged by society, while only 24 percent of all Americans agree with that view. By contrast, “Core Conservatives” are more tolerant of homosexuality.

Market-Skeptic Republicans (12 percent): These Americans lean Republican — only 12 percent identify as Democrats — but view the U.S. economic system negatively. The vast majority, 94 percent, say the system unfairly favors powerful interests. Only 10 percent say most corporations make a fair and reasonable amount of profit, compared with 82 percent of “Core Conservatives.”

A 55 percent majority of “Market-Skeptic Republicans” are younger than 50, and only 34 percent attend religious services weekly — a lower rate than other GOP-leaning groups.

A majority, 57 percent, say a friend or family member has been addicted to drugs — a larger share than in groups, though not much higher than the 46 percent of Americans overall who say that.

New Era Enterprisers (11 percent): This is the youngest and most moderate GOP-leaning group: Twenty-six percent are younger than 30. And only two-thirds are white, a smaller proportion than in other Republican groups.

“They’re generally less intense or angry about things,” Doherty says. They have more moderate views on immigration — only 23 percent say immigrants are a burden on the country — and the U.S.’ role in the world.

Bystanders (0 percent): This group, composed of people who aren’t registered to vote and pay little or no attention to politics and government, is made up mostly of younger Americans and racial minorities. Despite their lack of participation, more identify as Democrats (40 percent) than Republicans (26 percent).

Devout and Diverse (9 percent): This group leans Democratic, though not strongly; 59 percent associate with the party. They are older — 60 percent are 50 and older — and majority non-white.

This group is more socially conservative — just 53 percent say homosexuality should be accepted by society — but its members also want more government services and further action on racial inequality.

Disaffected Democrats (14 percent): These Americans aren’t really disaffected with the Democratic Party: Roughly 85 percent still identify as Democrats. But they are disaffected with politics and government. Despite their Democratic orientation, a 63 percent majority says government is almost always wasteful and inefficient.

Virtually all of them, 99 percent, think the economic system unfairly favors powerful interests. That doesn’t mean they are warming up to Trump, though: Ninety-one percent disapprove of his job performance.

Opportunity Democrats (13 percent): “Opportunity Democrats” are socially liberal: Ninety-two percent say homosexuality should be accepted by society, and 99 percent say immigrants strengthen the country because of their hard work and talents.

But they are more likely to call themselves moderates (46 percent), versus liberal (32 percent) or conservative (21 percent). Most disapprove of Trump, but fewer strongly disapprove than “Disaffected Democrats” or “Solid Liberals.”

Solid Liberals (19 percent): This is the largest of all the groups. Among those politically engaged, they represent a quarter of the electorate — and nearly half of all politically engaged Democrats.

Virtually all “Solid Liberals” strongly disapprove of Trump’s job performance, 97 percent. And they’re tuned into politics: Ninety-seven percent say it matters a great deal or a fair amount which party wins control of Congress next year. Forty-nine percent have donated to a candidate or campaign over the past year, and 39 percent have protested Trump’s policies.

“I think what characterizes them is their intense reaction to Trump and their own political activism,” Doherty said.

“Solid Liberals” are well-educated: Fifty-seven percent are college graduates, and 29 percent have a post-graduate degree. Only 15 percent of “Solid Liberals” attend religious services at least weekly, though 72 percent say they enjoy going to museums a lot, and 83 percent enjoy reading books.