Political Center: New data shows a 60% messy middle

Pew Research Center estimates that approximately 60% of the American electorate falls into a political middle that researchers describe as messy. This group is larger than the combined populations of the ideological far right and far left, according to the non-partisan organization. The finding contradicts the common belief that the country consists of two distinct and warring camps.

Kristin Laurin, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, said the data aligns with research showing that people often overestimate their differences with political opponents. She cited the case of Shanna Berry and Alma Ong, two friends in their early 50s who avoided discussing politics to maintain their relationship. When they finally spoke about the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January, they discovered shared views. Berry, a Christian and Air Force veteran who supports President Trump, stated she felt the end of the regime was necessary. Ong, a liberal and Buddhist who does not like the president, agreed with everything Berry said.

Laurin attributed the gap between perceived and actual polarization to political elites and social media. She noted that politicians often portray opponents as extreme to energize voters, while social media platforms amplify rage to drive engagement. "Our perceived polarization far outstrips the actual polarization," Laurin said.

The James Comey indictment in April illustrated this overlap. The former FBI director was charged with posting a photo of seashells that the Department of Justice deemed a death threat against the president. The move drew criticism from Democrats and many conservatives. Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law professor at George Washington University Law School, told Fox News, "I must be in a parallel universe to be talking about the shell art of James Comey." Stan Fletcher, a restaurateur and three-time Trump voter, added that no one should be indicted for their opinion.

Pew Research classifies Americans into nine groups based on values. One category, the "Pragmatic and Polite Right," includes 56% of Republicans or Republican-leaning individuals and 37% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning individuals. This group values civility and holds conservative economic views while being more moderate on race and immigration. Jocelyn Kiley, who leads politics research at Pew, said the data reveals significant variation within parties. "Once you look beneath Republican and Democratic labels you see a lot of variation within the parties and a lot of overlap," Kiley said.