Actuality examine: How divided is America, actually?

We hear on a regular basis about how polarized we have change into as a nation. When Pew Analysis requested People what one phrase they’d use to explain politics as we speak, the most well-liked response was “Divisive.”

And it’s true that conservatives and liberals disagree on the identical points we now have for years, from gun management and homosexual marriage, to authorities regulation and taxing the wealthy.

However there are additionally an entire lot of issues that we really agree on.

For starters, we have a tendency to fret about the identical sorts of issues: synthetic intelligence (88%) … getting scammed (58%) … about our children spending an excessive amount of time on their telephones (76%).

However irrespective of the political celebration, all of us have a tendency to like the Nationwide Park Service (76%), NASA (67%), and the U.S. Postal Service (72%).

Then, there are some issues that just about all of us dislike: individuals having affairs (89%) … the concept of cloning individuals (84%) … and Kim Jong Un (91%).

However virtually all of us watch fireworks on the Fourth of July (80%) … depart suggestions for our servers at eating places, or say we do (92%) … preserve our telephones close by each waking hour (83%) … and adorn our houses for the vacations (75%).

We consider within the freedoms of speech (90%), privateness (88%), and faith (84%). And we fiercely consider that everybody deserves equal remedy beneath the legislation (91%).

So, yeah, the offended pundits on TV and social media definitely give us the impression that we’re a wildly divided nation – so that is what we wind up believing.

“Sunday Morning” actuality checker David Pogue.

CBS Information

However what? We would simply be somewhat bit unsuitable about that. One examine after one other after one other after one other reveals that we are inclined to have exaggerated concepts about what the opposite guys consider. And they have an exaggerated thought about us.

For instance, this 2018 examine discovered that Republicans consider that 37% of Democrats are union members. The precise quantity is 11%. In the meantime, Democrats consider that 33% of Republicans earn greater than $250,000 a yr. The true quantity? 2%.

So, yeah, we’re really not as far aside as we suppose we’re.

And that is the truth. I checked!

Story produced by David Rothman. Editor: Chad Cardin.

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David Pogue

David Pogue is a six-time Emmy winner for his tales on “CBS Sunday Morning,” the place he is been a correspondent since 2002. Pogue hosts the CBS Information podcast “Unsung Science.” He is additionally a New York Occasions bestselling creator, a five-time TED speaker, and host of 20 NOVA science specials on PBS. For 13 years, he wrote a New York Occasions tech column each week – and for 10 years, a Scientific American column each month.