Politics with Paul

Approachable, nonpartisan, and nonideological analysis of various political topics by nonpartisan political analyst, writer, researcher, and speaker Paul Rader.

Politics with Paul #45: The Types of Polarization...And How Any of Us Can Become Polarized

E46 • Jun 17, 2025 • 74 mins

Most people can see that American politics is rife with polarization. It's led to countless examples of enmity, strife, harsh rhetoric, broken relationships…and violence. But what many people don't realize is that polarization takes on multiple forms, and thus manifests and foments in different ways. And one of the most unfortunate truths is that there is one particular type of polarization that any of us can display. What are the different types of polarization? Why is it important to understand the different types? How do we measure them? How long has America been polarized? And which particular type of polarization is one that can, unfortunately, be exhibited by any one of us? All this and more is on tap for today's episode. It's time for us all to take a step back and reevaluate how we approach politics.

Key Points

Political polarization in America is not a new phenomenon and has fluctuated throughout history, with notable peaks such as the Civil War.
There are four primary types of polarization: partisan, ideological, issue-based, and affective, with each having distinct characteristics and measurements.
Affective polarization, which involves negative emotions towards those with differing political views, is particularly harmful as it can affect anyone and leads to unhealthy levels of distrust, anger, and even violence.

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Speakers

Paul Rader

Host • 100%

Chapters

0:00	Intro of Today's Topic: The Types of Political Polarization
2:00	How Long has America Been Politically Polarized?
12:11	Why it is Important To Distinguish Between Types of Polarization
14:17	How Do We Measure Polarization?
17:44	Type 1: Partisan Polarization - Not just Democrats and Republicans
27:01	Type 2: Ideological Polarization - Liberal vs. Conservative
38:24	Type 3: Issue Polarization - Views on Singular Issues
45:18	Type 4: Affective Polarization - Our Feelings About Others
52:27	Why Affective Polarization is the Most Insidious...and Can Affect Any of Us
1:04:35	Final Thoughts: Tips for Stopping Ourselves From Being Affectively Polarized

Transcript

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