Nida Khan, 40, an accountant and mother of two, lives in Plano, Texas, a Dallas suburb. A self-described liberal, she grew up in Pakistan and met her future husband in Chicago — they both went to university there. “I just loved this country and its ideals, and how people treated me, from all walks of life. I am forever grateful for that picture of America that I have in my head.” But, Nida says, living in Texas has been an adjustment. “I could never just randomly strike up a conversation in Texas with somebody and complain about the president. You just don’t do that.” And that’s been lonely, she says. “It’s always being the outlier. It’s always being on the sidelines of everything.”
Lew Waters, 70, is a Vietnam veteran and retired auto technician living in Vancouver, Wash. Born and raised in the South, he says he has felt targeted many times for being a conservative in the Pacific Northwest. “I kind of feel like I have no representation,” he says. Lew feels misunderstood by people on both sides of the political spectrum. “I’ve been called a far-right freak. The far right calls me a liberal.” And that, he says, has made him feel like an outsider in his own community. What’s needed, Lew says, is to find a way to talk to each other. “I’ve got firm convictions, firm principles. But at least be willing to listen to what other people have to say. It’s almost like our elected officials and the two major parties are just playing ‘get back’ on each other, you know. Never mind governing the country.”
We asked our readers to rank their experiences dealing with polarization and how these divisions are affecting their lives and their communities.
on the political spectrum?
your local community/yourself
Where would you put
conservative
liberal
BY AGE
18-34
35-49
50-64
65+
BY GENDER
Women
Men
BY EDUCATION
H.S. or less
Some college/voc
College graduate
Advanced degree
BY AREA
Rural/small town
Suburb
Small city
Big city
on
Where would you put
your local community/yourself
the political spectrum?
conservative
liberal
BY AGE
18-34
35-49
50-64
65+
BY GENDER
Women
Men
BY EDUCATION
H.S. or less
Some college/voc
College graduate
Advanced degree
BY AREA
Rural/small town
Suburb
Small city
Big city
your local community/yourself
Where would you put
on
the political spectrum?
liberal
conservative
BY AGE
18-34
35-49
50-64
65+
BY GENDER
Women
Men
BY EDUCATION
H.S. or less
Some college/voc
College graduate
Advanced degree
BY AREA
Rural/small town
Suburb
Small city
Big city
your local community
Where would you put
yourself
/
on the political spectrum?
liberal
conservative
BY AGE
18-34
35-49
50-64
65+
BY GENDER
Women
Men
BY EDUCATION
H.S. or less
Some college/voc
College graduate
Advanced degree
BY AREA
Rural/small town
Suburb
Small city
Big city
Methodology: The Wall Street Journal analyzed over 3,900 responses to an opt-in survey to surface some of the most meaningful insights. The results are not a public-opinion poll. They represent a snapshot of our reader’s perceptions about the current divisive climate in America.
You can join the conversation by sharing your story with us.
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