People Are Good and Our Politics Should Be Too

In the United States today, politics is divided, divisive, mean-spirited, and polarized. Don’t believe me? Flip on the news, open up social media, and if you dare, look at the comments. You will see this division and destructive rhetoric everywhere. However, in our day-to-day lives we help our neighbors, volunteer, and positively engage in our community. So why is our political climate so bad? The answer is not in our fundamental nature but rather a product of forces relentlessly dividing us.

Has Politics Become Our Identity?

One of the strongest drivers of political division is that partisan affiliation has become a kind of social identity. Parties no longer represent primarily one’s political views. In part, they have become much more, providing affirmation and moral support from like-minded people disenfranchised with aspects of our political and economic climate. Many so-called news channels are hyper-partisan. Social media feeds are no longer places to keep up with old friends and connect in a positive way. Instead, many people are sucked into destructive and mean-spirited political arguments. Shielded by a screen, folks can say anything to each other without a face-to-face reckoning.

Has Politics Impacted Our Perceptions of Americans

Clearly, the impact of political rhetoric and negativity is impacting the perceptions Americans have of each other. In a study published in March of 2026, more than half of Americans described the morality and ethics of others in the country as bad.¹ Destructive politics, dark money, negative advertising, social media trolls and bots, and partisan news outlets most certainly contribute to these attitudes. There is not a candidate in a contested race who can escape without having their character and morals attacked. The public is left with the impression there are no good people in politics and if politicians are representative of society, perhaps there are not many good people at all.

Politics Does Not Represent What Happens in the Real World

Of course, this is contrary to what we see all around us. Jim Davies writes in his article, that based on a recent study, it seems people in the United States are motivated to act in an altruist way because they want to make a difference and help people.² This is consistent with my personal interactions and observations. People come together during difficult times, support important charities, offer services to their communities, and support their friends and families. Recently, while voting, I observed lines of people let those with handicaps move to the front and cast their ballots before them. Even when engaging in a process which has been brutally negative, it was ironic to see the kindness shown to strangers while engaging in the process.

Family and friends with divergent views still love and take care of each other, coworkers that support different political parties collaborate and neighbors whose lawns are adorned with signs of rival politicians still get together for barbeques. When engaging in everyday life, most of us see people as friends and neighbors, not as Republicans or Democrats, liberals, or part of MAGA nation. We transcend rampant political polarization and instead choose to engage with compassion, empathy and as people.

Key Takeaways

• Politics is dividing us and increasingly shaping our identities and relationships.
• As political viewpoints increasingly shape our identifies, polarization and negative rhetoric make us more distrustful of each other.
• In the real world, people are kinder more compassionate, and empathetic than politicians are in the arena.
• People of different political persuasions can be close family members, friends and neighbors.

Common Questions About Political Divisiveness

Why do people make politics their identity?

Political labels and the policies they promise offer us a sense of community, a place to agree with others and be supported with promises of change.

How has politics hurt our trust in others?

With our current state of political polarization, especially online, we often get shown the worst sides of political speech, from trolls and bots to mud-slinging ads from politicians. Our media environment makes it harder to trust the people around us when they could be just like the people on our screens.

How do Americans treat each other offline?

We are not as divided as our politics would suggest. We work together, celebrate together, and support each other through hard times. While we might disagree, the political labels don’t define us.

Sources

1. Chavda, Janakee. “In 25-Country Survey, Americans Especially Likely to View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad.” Pew Research Center, 5 Mar. 2026, https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2026/03/05/in-25-country-survey-americans-especially-likely-to-view-fellow-citizens-as-morally-bad/. ↩︎
2. Davies, Jim. “People Really Want to Be Good.” Nautil.Us, Nautilus, 30 July 2025, https://nautil.us/people-really-want-to-be-good-1227879. ↩︎

About the author

Elliot Richardson

Elliot Richardson is the CEO and Co-Founder of Run Down the Middle (RDM), an evidence-based public policy and civic education and engagement platform built to help galvanize Americans searching for a better political environment and real policy solutions. An attorney and longtime public policy advocate, Elliot has spent his career bringing together business owners, advocates, policymakers and community leaders to advance practical solutions. He is also the Co-Founder and President of the Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC), writes a monthly column for the Daily Herald and has been interviewed by numerous different media outlets. Through RDM, Elliot works to break down complex policy issues, elevate our political discourse, encourage more constructive civic participation and galvanize people around solutions.