Political polarization in the US is at an all-time high, with both parties moving further from the center. Nathan Hale students aim to reduce division though respectful dialogue, some point to social media's role in deepening divides.
Political polarization has become common in the past few decades with Americans increasingly trending towards more extreme views, according to recent studies. These views are mostly held by those in power, slowly drifting farther apart in their ideologies than moderate Americans.
Political polarization is defined as a divergence away from the political center. Both the Republican and Democrat parties have diverged more from the center over time, meaning their ideologies have shifted farther right and left, respectively, away from the center.
According to Pew Research Center, the percentage of Americans who hold views that are consistently liberal or conservative doubled from 1994 to 2014. Also, in 2014, 27% of Democrats saw the Republican party as a threat to the nation while 36% of Republicans held that opinion about Democrats.
More recently, The Hill stated in a 2025 article that ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats are at their most extreme point in the last few decades. Also, The Hill says that political moderates make up 34% of their respondents in a survey. Moderates made up 43% in 1992.
The past decade or two has had politics become far more divided than before. And Nathan Hale students are the age to have grown up in this kind of political environment.
“Learn how to have conversations,” sophomore Kayla Roos said. Roos claims that a large driver of division is the inability to have a conversation. She claims that it is becoming harder to engage in respectful dialogue with those who hold differing political views.
Roos is the president of Nathan Hale’s section of BridgeUSA, a student movement that seeks to combat political polarization in the US. She says that there is more arguing than dialogue in politics at the moment, which does not set a good example for the younger generation.
Pew also points out that the people with the most radical opinions are usually also the loudest. The majority of Americans are somewhere in the middle. However, they are not often heard as the most vocal advocate for their ideologies.
Nathan Hale US History teacher Michael Renes, says that it is fair to say that US politics have become more polarized over time. He says that there are a lot of factors contributing to this, one being the rise of social media.
Roos also thinks that the current media landscape is a major factor. She listed channels MSNBC and Fox News as problematic, especially for . She also claimed that there was a lot of political negativity and hate on the social media platform X.
“It is partly my job to help students navigate the landscape,” Renes said, referencing the political climate in the media.
Brookings Institution also claims that social media is a driver of partisanship. It claims it is not the main reason but an important contributor nonetheless. It references studies that show Facebook and other media platforms are at fault for contributing to political divisiveness.
Roos said that currently there is an intense divide which is a threat to the well-being of democracy. She stated that people on either side of the political aisle can only relate to certain other individuals.
Noticing this is happening is one thing, but striving to create change is another. Bridge NHHS holds monthly conversations on politics, where anyone can share their thoughts and opinions. They would be glad to have anyone from any grade join.
Roos says that clubs and spaces to talk to others, such as Bridge, will help the problem of polarization. She also emphasizes having respectful dialogue where a wide variety of opinions can be embraced.
“Turn the temperature down.” Renes said. Sometimes everything can be considered a threat to your political beliefs and to remember that people may have more shared values than they think.
Renes and Roos had different opinions on political moderates, those who hold views that are not consistently right or left.
Roos said that it is more important that people who are farther left or right converse and share their ideas. Renes believes that moderates are valuable. “Not every opinion has to be extreme,” Renes said.