Presidential Election

The United States Of America Isn't So United Right Now

A Gallup survey found 77 percent of Americans think the country is more divided than united on fundamental issues.

The United States Of America Isn't So United Right Now
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This probably isn't surprising, but Americans feel very divided right now. And Gallup has some empirical data to prove it.

The polling organization found 77 percent of Americans believe the nation is more divided than united on its fundamental values. That's the highest percentage Gallup has recorded over the past 20 years.

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Gallup's polling suggests Americans have generally been more likely to describe the country as divided than united — except after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which flipped the trend.

The divide falls along partisan lines — Democrats are more likely than Republicans to view the country as divided.

That tracks with Gallup's previous post-election surveys, which found members of the losing party believed the country was more divided. 

In the most recent survey, 83 percent of Democrats told Gallup they felt the country was more divided than united, compared to 68 percent of Republicans and 78 percent of independents who felt the same way.

In 2012, 80 percent of Republicans thought the country was divided, as opposed to 63 percent of Democrats. And in 2004, 70 percent of Democrats viewed the country as divided, compared with 59 percent of Republicans.

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But this time, fewer Americans than before are hopeful the new president-elect will be able to unite the country: 45 percent of respondents told Gallup Donald Trump would do more to unite the country than divide it.

When Obama was re-elected in 2012, 55 percent of respondents said he'd do more to unite than divide the country. George W. Bush received similar support from 57 percent of respondents after his 2004 win.