West's Voters Divided by Identity

A recent YouGov–Cambridge Globalism Project survey finds that voters in Western democracies are more divided by identity and partisan loyalty than by specific policy positions. Researchers describe strong "affective polarization": people feel intense dislike for opposing groups even when those groups often share similar views on key debates such as sexism, racism, and economic policy. The findings challenge the idea that culture wars are mainly about conflicting opinions; instead, much conflict appears driven by who people see as "us" versus "them."

The survey covers several Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, and shows that partisan identification often predicts political behavior more than detailed issue preferences. That dynamic can make compromise harder, encouraging political actors to use identity-based appeals and emotional messaging. The researchers argue policymakers and citizens should pay more attention to shared facts and common policy beliefs, because focusing only on perceived cultural divides risks exaggerating differences and undermining democratic dialogue.