president

A Growing Divide

October 26, 2020

After the 2016 U.S. presidential race, America seemed more divided than ever. But the 2020 election has proven to be even more polarizing. UNC researchers are studying why this divide seems to be growing, analyzing polarization from a psychological and historical perspective.

Defining Terms

Doom scrolling – Continuing to scroll through bad news on social media or news platforms without the ability to stop.

Ideology – A system of ideas and ideals that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Partisanship – Strong, sometimes blind adherence to a particular party, faction, cause, or person.

Polarization – The growing gap in opinion between Republicans and Democrats.

Politicization – To go from classifying abstract concepts, entities, or facts as objective to being part of culture war debates, politics, or subjective discussion.

Worldview – Someone’s deeply ingrained beliefs about the nature of the world and the priorities of a good society.