OpenCampaign

Political Extremisim

Political polarization and national unity

Political polarization and social division are among Americans' top concerns in 2026. Gallup found 7% of Americans cite 'unifying the country' as the top national problem, and the Yale poll found 36% very worried about cultural and social divisions. Freedom House noted that political violence has proliferated, and politicians are facing a dramatic rise in intimidation driven by hostile political rhetoric.

Where do you stand?

What should the government do to reduce political polarization and promote national unity?

How important is this to you?

Sources

Gallup — https://news.gallup.com/poll/702719/government-leads-nation-top-problem.aspx
Other issues cited by at least 4% of Americans include unifying the country (7%), problems with the judicial system and courts (6%, up from 3% in each of the prior two months).
Freedom House — https://freedomhouse.org/country/united-states/freedom-world/2026
Other forms of political violence have proliferated, and politicians have been subjected to a dramatic rise in intimidation, including from members of the public influenced by hostile political rhetoric.
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication — https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/publications/top-public-worries-in-the-u-s
A second tier of concerns includes the state of democracy in the U.S. and disruption of federal government services (both 44%), followed by cultural and social divisions (36%).
Positions on this issue  ·  liberal → conservative
  1. Aggressively investigate and prosecute political violence; enact structural reforms to reduce partisan gerrymandering.
  2. Promote bipartisan dialogue, fund civic education, and hold leaders accountable for inflammatory rhetoric.
  3. Encourage cross-partisan cooperation in Congress and support independent commissions on election integrity.
  4. Focus on enforcing laws against actual violence without restricting political speech or expression.
  5. Polarization reflects genuine ideological differences; government should not interfere in political discourse.