In the United States the political divide within the past few years has become more and more prominent, Creating a divide between Americans all over, which is a direct threat to the democracy.  

With neither side willing to make a compromise, and accomplishing very little. The pandemic has only made this divide grow stronger. The two parties have very different views on all the problems in the country, such as the pandemic, climate change, racial justice, and much more.  

Americans are very aware of this divide. In the same study 77% of Americans said the country was more divided now than ever. Compared to those surveyed in 13 other nations with 47% A study conducted by the Pew Research Center fount that the disagreement between Democrats and Republicans is only growing. In the 2020 presidential election, this became very apparent. Dividing the country into two sides who only wish to accomplish what their sides want, without coming to an agreement. There is no way to make both sides completely happy. Coming to a happy medium and compromising is the only option. 

While everyone’s opinion is bound to differ, there is always a way to compromise. Many believe the United States is more separated than other countries because of how “multi-faced” our political system is. The states have reached a dangerous level of division where it is directly affecting the way our government is run. Salon.com states that the expanding political division is creating an unpredictable environment that threatens the capacity of the government to respond to issues. The fighting between the two parties is making it harder to get laws passed, laws voted in, and pretty much everything in our government. Things that need an immediate response are not getting decided as fast as they need to. The parties are worried about fighting for their side instead of taking both opinions and combining them is putting a strain on our democracy.  

Helping bridge this divide is not easy, but it can be done. Kirk Schneider, PhD, writes in his book The Depolarizing of America: A Guidebook for Social Healing that the only way to close this gap is to literally bring people together into structured dialogue groups and let people talk about their opinions. Letting people from one side hear the views of the other side, and see where they came from would immensely help he states. After separating the people into the groups he found that 80% of participants felt they were ready to start a constructive conversation, and 75% felt less angry and estranged to the others opinions. 79% said that they now better understood the feelings, origins of beliefs, and experiences of the other side.  

This study is proof that aiding our country is possible. While it may not be easy and will definitely take a long time, there is hope. Making small steps in order to understand the opinions of others can help. While this divide doesn’t define us as a country it definitely plays a part in who we are.