American Divide: What was behind the political division in the U.S. after 2020?

what did researchers discovered about the 2020 Election?
America's deep political divide
Partisan divides are stark in the U.S.
Republicans vs. Democrats in 2020
Economic concerns and emotional reactions
Political polarization at a foundational level
A lack of institutional confidence
Republicans doubted free and fair elections
Peoples emotional reactions didn’t have an impact
Surprised economics weren’t important
A more fundamental problem
Reported satisfaction levels
Media coverage was also a key factor
How can this help democracy?
The electoral process affects citizens
The outcome of 2020 for some
Concerning worries about future stability
An interesting idea
what did researchers discovered about the 2020 Election?

Long before Donald Trump was elected back into the White House by U.S. voters, Americans were hinting that they were dissatisfied with the state of their democracy and it affected some more than others.

 

 

America's deep political divide

The deep political divide in the United States only seemed to grow in the years after the 2020 election, and a group of enterprising researchers tried to sort out what was causing the problem. They detailed their findings in a July 2024 study and actually revealed some interesting insights.

Partisan divides are stark in the U.S.

Published in the journal PS: Political Science & Politics, the new study indicated that the aftermath of the 2020 elections in the U.S. revealed a large partisan divide in satisfaction with democracy in the United States. 

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.

Republicans vs. Democrats in 2020

However, there was a clear trend showing Republican satisfaction with democracy after the election declined while satisfaction increased among Democrats according to the researcher's work. There were several reasons for these significant partisan inclines and declines. 

Economic concerns and emotional reactions

Economic concerns and emotional reactions are the first two factors that you might think played a role in satisfaction levels, and they did according to PsyPost. But they weren't the only factors. Plus they were also found to only have had a small influence on satisfaction with democracy. 

Political polarization at a foundational level

The researchers explained in their study that elections like the U.S. 2020 case were not a simple economic referendum or rousing ‘horse race’ but rather polarizing for voters on a much more foundational level that affects society. This societal polarization was further explained in the study. 

A lack of institutional confidence

Institutional confidence, and particularly confidence in the electoral process, was the big factor that dictated satisfaction levels. The study’s authors theorized that they would find a gap in satisfaction, but their discovery was groundbreaking. 

Republicans doubted free and fair elections

For example, Republicans were on the losing end of the 2020 election and they showed significant declines in confidence in the electoral system, including doubts regarding the fairness and freeness of the election according to PsyPost.  

Peoples emotional reactions didn’t have an impact

“We were surprised that affective polarization did not play a greater role in accounting for changes in either dissatisfaction with democracy or with the way the 2020 election was conducted,” study co-author Samual Whitt told PsyPost. 

Surprised economics weren’t important

Whitt also added the research team was surprised they didn’t find more evidence in the way of economic predictors of discontent, adding that satisfaction with democracy was tied to perceptions and confidence in electoral institutions.

A more fundamental problem

Whitt added that the study’s findings suggested “potentially more fundamental problems with American democracy that may be more difficult than dissatisfaction tied to short-term fluctuations in the economy, or the stirring of passions during a heated electoral cycle.” 

Reported satisfaction levels

Republican satisfaction with democracy decreased from 66.0% to 56.7.3% following the 2020 election while Democrat satisfaction levels rose from 55% to 66.8%. Interestingly, Independents saw little change in their satisfaction levels. 

Media coverage was also a key factor

How the media covered the 2020 elections also emerged as a key factor in satisfaction levels and the researchers found that individuals who felt the media accurately reported on the elections had higher satisfaction levels regardless of party affiliation. 

How can this help democracy?

Knowing how the media can affect satisfaction levels was an important finding because it can be used as a solution to improve confidence in electoral institutions and improve voter satisfaction levels with democracy according to the study’s authors. 

The electoral process affects citizens

“Our work underscores how perceptions of the electoral process influence citizens’ appraisals of democracy in the aftermath of contentious elections,” Whitt explained. “Winners tend to become more satisfied with democracy, and losers more dissatisfied.”

The outcome of 2020 for some

“But in the 2020 election, rising dissatisfaction with democracy among Republicans was clearly linked to their dissatisfaction with the electoral process, which they did not perceive as free or fair,” Whitt continued. 

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.

Concerning worries about future stability

“If an electoral loss triggers not only discontent about the outcome, but the process as well, this raises concerns about democratic stability in the United States,” Whitt added, which is an issue that could someday break the nation. 

An interesting idea

How Kamala Harris' 2024 Election loss will affect Democrats has yet to be seen, but it would be interesting for the research team of the 2020 study to go back and see if Trump's victory affected Democrat sentiments about their democracy in the same way Republicans were affected in 2020.

More for you