Republicans are significantly more likely than Democrats to report having close friends in the opposite political party, according to a new NBC News survey released Friday.
The poll found that 82% of Republicans said they are “close” friends with at least one Democrat, compared with 64% of Democrats who said they have at least one close Republican friend. The findings come amid continued national debate over political polarization and the ability of Americans to maintain relationships across ideological divides.
NBC News also broke down cross-party friendships by political ideology. The survey found that 87% of “moderate” Republicans reported having at least one close Democratic friend, while 79% of “conservative” Republicans said the same. On the Democratic side, 78% of “moderate” Democrats said they have a close GOP friend, compared to 57% of “liberal” Democrats.
Among voters categorized by partisan intensity, 77% of “core” Republicans said they have a close friend who is a Democrat, while 90% of “soft” Republicans did. For Democrats, 57% of “core” voters reported having a close friend across the aisle, while 73% of “soft” Democrats said the same.
The survey results come as other polling shows a shifting political landscape. A Pew Research Center survey from July 23 found that 46% of Americans identify with or lean toward the GOP, while 45% identify with or lean Democrat. The same survey reported widening gender gaps: men were 12 points more likely than women to affiliate with the Republican Party, while women were 12 points more likely than men to lean Democratic.
The numbers also emerge in a year marked by several high-profile incidents of political violence, including the Sept. 10 assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the June killings of Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security reported in September a 1,000% increase in assaults against ICE agents.
Amid rising tensions, many voters say they are dissatisfied with the two-party system. A Gallup poll released in October found that 62% of U.S. adults believe the country needs a third major political party, while 30% said the Democratic and Republican parties adequately represent Americans.
NBC News surveyed 1,000 registered voters between Oct. 24 and Oct. 28 using telephone interviews and online questionnaires sent via text message. The poll’s margin of error is ±3.1 percentage points.
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