Polarization May Undermine Community Bonds, Trust in Others

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The United States is a deeply polarized country where people's political party identification affects far more than their voting behavior. Carefully designed experimental studies have revealed that Americans treat people of the same party differently from members of opposing parties. Public opinion surveys also reveal that politics affects Americans' social relationships, ranging from how they get along with neighbors to their preferences for the person their son or daughter chooses to marry. Still other studies have revealed sharp partisan differences in Americans' trust in institutions like the...