Political Polarization Relatively Strong in the U.S.

The share of people who consider themselves on the far left or far right of the political spectrum is particularly high in the United States. This is the result of a survey by Statista Consumer Insights. 11 percent of U.S. respondents said they saw themselves on the far left (0 out of 10 points) and 19 percent on the far right (10 out of 10 points). By comparison, only 6 percent of Germans place themselves on the far left and only 7 percent on the far right. In the country, being centrist is also much more common at 24 percent, opposite the U.S.' 18 percent.

In France, centrism was the least pronounced at 14 percent, while 9 percent saw themselves most on the left and a whopping 17 percent most on the right. While a similar amount of French people and Americans rated themselves as on the right and on the left, positions to the very far left and the very far right were relatively stronger in the U.S., with France a little behind. Attitudes in the United Kingdom resembled Germany more, with an additional uptick on the very right thrown in.

Despite the polarization, Americans are less likely to identify with Republicans or Democrats. In the 2024 U.S. election, exit polls suggest that Independents for the first time tied as the biggest group of voters with Republicans. One explanation for this trend could be the loss of trust in democratic institutions by the American public. This has also affected trust in the president, the Supreme Court and Congress.