America’s political divisions in 5 charts

As Election Day unfolds, here are five charts that highlight how politically polarized the nation has become — and how most Americans expect it to remain that way, regardless of who wins.

1. Even before the current campaign began, the American public had grown more ideologically polarized along partisan lines, as Pew Research Center documented in a major study.
2. Republicans and Democrats have grown increasingly negative in their evaluations of presidents representing the other party.
3. Demographic changes have reshaped both party coalitions over the past quarter century, pushing them further apart.
4. Supporters of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump differ sharply in their views of life in the U.S. today compared with the past. In August, 81% of Trump supporters said life in America today is worse for people like them than it was 50 years ago, compared with just 11% who said it is better. Among Clinton supporters, about one-in-five (19%) said life is worse, compared with nearly six-in-ten (59%) who said it is better.
5. Voters are skeptical that either Clinton or Trump will repair the country’s political divisions.