60 percent of voters fall into the political middle

A majority of American voters hold views that do not align with the extreme ends of the political spectrum.

The perception of deep national division has grown since 2024. In January, Shanna Berry and Alma Ong discussed the United States capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Berry, a retired hairdresser and Air Force veteran who supports President Trump, said the end of the Maduro regime was necessary. She noted uncertainty about the legalities of the action and the motivation regarding Venezuelan oil. Ong, a Buddhist who grew up in London and identifies as liberal, listened to Berry's assessment. Ong expressed surprise that she agreed with every point Berry made. The exchange illustrates a common pattern where friends avoid political conversation to prevent conflict.

Kristin Laurin, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, identified the Berry and Ong interaction as a prime example of political research findings. Laurin stated that people often overestimate their political differences because they do not speak to one another. She attributed this perception gap to political elites portraying opponents as extreme to energize their base. Social media algorithms also contribute by amplifying content designed to provoke anger. Laurin asserted that the perceived polarization in the country far exceeds the actual ideological distance between citizens.

Public opinion on specific legal cases further demonstrates this overlap. In April, former FBI Director James Comey was indicted. The Department of Justice argued that a photo of seashells he posted constituted a death threat against the president. The indictment drew criticism from Democrats and many conservatives. Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University Law School, expressed disbelief at the nature of the charge. Stan Fletcher, a restaurateur in Maryland who voted for President Trump in three elections, also criticized the move. Fletcher argued that no person should be indicted for their opinion. He described the American electorate as a bell curve where 95 percent of citizens are moderates. He noted that public discourse focuses on the extreme fringes of both parties.

Pew Research Center data supports the existence of this large political middle. The non-partisan organization categorizes Americans into nine groups based on values and attitudes. One group, named the Pragmatic and Polite Right, includes 56 percent Republicans or Republican-leaning individuals and 37 percent Democrats or Democratic-leaning individuals. This group has the oldest average age among the nine categories. Members value civility in politics and hold conservative views on economic issues while maintaining more moderate positions on race and immigration. Jocelyn Kiley, who leads politics research at Pew, explained that looking past party labels reveals substantial variation and overlap. She described the political middle as larger than the groups on the ideological right and left.

Pew estimates that the messy middle constitutes approximately 60 percent of the electorate. The two groups furthest to the right, the No Apologies Right and the Faith First Conservatives, make up just 21 percent of the population. Kiley acknowledged that political division is real but emphasized the nuance beneath the surface. The organization offers a public quiz to help individuals identify which of the nine groups they belong to. The research indicates that while Americans are divided, they agree on more issues than they realize.