'It's more purple than blue and red': Americans' political views are closer than you might think



Voters' views 'don't follow party affiliation so closely'

Polarisation has hardly moved since days of Nixon

Overestimated by those with stronger political views



While many Americans might believe their country is becoming more politically divided, it turns out things have hardly changed in four decades.

Voters’ views on key issues don’t follow party affiliation as closely as is often thought and polarisation has hardly moved since 1970, a study says.

Stronger Democrats and Republicans hugely overestimate polarisation, compared to independents and those more likely to change their mind.



Opinions: Voter Anna Carroll makes her choice in this month's South Carolina primary. The U.S. is just as polarised now as in 1970, a study says

‘We tend to see the world as divided between blue and red (but) the world has much greater shades of purple,’ study author John Chambers said.

‘There is more common ground than we realise,’ the University of Florida psychology professor added at a conference in San Diego, California.

People who think the U.S. is more polarised than in reality are more likely to vote, meaning this false idea could drive politics, reported Live Science.

It also suggests close elections are decided by voters worried about what others might believe, so whoever builds up those fears the most will win.

Unchanged: Polarisation and perceived overestimates have been mostly constant since the days of President Richard Nixon, left, in 1970 to George W. Bush in 2004

The researchers looked at American National Election Survey data, where respondents gave opinions on issues such as healthcare and defence.

'We tend to see the world as divided between blue and red (but) the world has much greater shades of purple' Study author John Chambers

They considered data from 1970 to 2004 and found what respondents believed a GOP or Democrat voter would think on an issue.

The data showed polarisation and perceived overestimates have been roughly constant since the days of President Richard Nixon in 1970.

Mr Chambers wants his study to help voters make more informed decisions about candidates rather than simply voting by party.

Republican logo: Mike Lachs wears a GOP elephant hat. People who think the U.S. is more polarised than in reality are more likely to vote, a study says Symbols: The Democratic and Republican parties have long been associated with the donkey, left, and the elephant, right, respectively

But it’s a different story for those inside Congress, with a separate study showing politicians have become more divided by party since the 1940s.

'People are acting on false assumptions. When people feel threatened, they become very defensive' Leaf Van Boven, psychology professor

Another study discussed at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference looked at why polarisation is overestimated.

Stronger voters project emotional thought processes onto others, University of Colorado psychology professor Leaf Van Boven said.