The political landscape in the U.S. is quickly changing, but political divides run deeper than just Republicans and Democrats, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Tuesday.
"[E]ven in a political landscape increasingly fractured by partisanship, the divisions within the Republican and Democratic coalitions may be as important a factor in American politics as the divisions between them," researchers say in a report published Tuesday. “In some cases these fissures are not new…. Yet, especially within the GOP, many of the divisions now center on the issues that have been front-and-center for Trump since he first launched his presidential campaign."
Pew surveyed more than 5,000 adults during the summer and divided the nation into nine groups from that poll, including four that make up the Republican coalition and four that lean toward the Democratic Party. The ninth group consists of bystanders.
The Republican groups approve of President Donald Trump, but disagree on immigration, the U.S.' involvement internationally, homosexuality and the fairness of the U.S. economy.
On the left, Pew found deep splits on government regulation, the U.S.' involvement overseas and religion. But almost everyone in the blue groups said they disapproved of Trump as president and agreed the U.S. needed to continue to make changes to give blacks equal rights with whites. They also said the government was responsible for making sure all Americans had healthcare coverage.