Nearly half of Americans think members of the opposing political party are downright evil: poll

Nearly half of eligible voters in the US believe that those in the opposing political party are “downright evil,” according to a new poll conducted by Johns Hopkins University.The country’s divisiveness was clearly illustrated by the survey, which was conducted twice, first from July 26 to July 30 — mere weeks after the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump — and the second from Sept.6 to Sept.

18 by the university’s SNF Agora Institute.Roughly 2,000 respondents were split up into five categories for the poll — Republicans who believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election, Republicans who believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Democrats, Independents, and then everyone altogether.

Of the Republicans who believe that Trump won in 2020, three-quarters think that Democrats are evil.On the other end, half of Democrats considered Republicans evil, according to the survey results.The poll creators said those divisive beliefs are dangerous for the country’s democracy.

“Vilifying our political opponents is a signal that we consider them to be enemies instead of opponents,” said Lilliana Mason, a Johns Hopkins University political science professor who studies political violence and polarization.“The work of governing a democracy requires compromise and mutual respect.

These sentiments make that respect nearly impossible, which threatens the health of democracy.”Respondents for the poll answered questions about their party affiliations, political identities, the 2020 election results, where they get their information, and what they think about people from other parties.The published findings are based on the responses of 2,000 respondents who create a demographically and politically representative sample of the US electorate, the pollsters said.Mason and Scott Warren, two SNF Agora fellows, co-led the project and created the poll in an attempt to determine where exactly the country’s voting body is at leading up to t...