Most Democrats Say Republicans Are Racist And Sexist, Poll Shows

Most Democrats believe that Republicans are racist, sexist, bigoted, possibly even evil, or any combination thereof, the Hill is reporting. Republicans by and large feel the same way about Democrats, but not to the same extent.

According to the results of a new Axios poll released Monday, when asked how to describe how they feel about members of the other party, American voters responded with words like “racist,” “ignorant,” “spiteful,” and “evil.” Words like “kind” and “fair” also came up, but not nearly to the same degree.

For example, when asked if Republicans are “racist/bigoted/sexist,” 61 percent of poll respondents who identified as Democrat said yes. Further, 54 percent of Democrats surveyed said they see Republicans as ignorant; 44 percent say Republicans are spiteful; and 21 percent say they think Republicans are downright evil.

The distrust between the parties even extends as far as family and relationships, says the survey. For example, asked how they would feel if a family member married a member of the opposite party, over a third of Democrats (41 percent) said they would feel “somewhat disappointed” or “extremely disappointed.”

Unfortunately, positive adjectives were hard to come by in this poll. Less than 5 percent of Democrats described Republicans as “thoughtful” or “kind.”

Republicans Feel Largely The Same Way About Democrats

The sword cuts both ways, as the old saying goes. And while Democrats have some unkind adjectives to use when describing Republicans, the same can be said of the GOP as well. Just not as strongly.

Republicans, for example, similarly believe that Democrats are “spiteful,” with 54 percent answering “Yes” when asked the question (compared to 44 percent for Democrats and Republicans). Only 31 percent of Republicans, however, believe Democrats are “racist/sexist/bigoted;” and 49 percent of Republicans view Democrats as “ignorant.” Similarly, good adjectives were equally hard to come by; only 4 percent of Republicans say Democrats are “fair” or “thoughtful,” while only 3 percent say Democrats are “kind.”

Republicans, however, are considerably more tolerant when it comes to marrying outside the party: only 26 percent said they would be “somewhat disappointed” or “extremely disappointed” if a family member married a member of the other party.

What It All Means

The poll illustrates what is emerging as a patently-obvious problem in America: that the two sides mistrust each other to the point of hatred, with little to no common ground between them, says researcher Kim Hart.

“If Americans are this convinced that the other side isn’t just wrong, but dumb and evil, they’ll never be able to find enough common ground to solve real problems. And they’re more likely to elect leaders who can’t do it, either.”

The results also show that the partisan divide is so deep that moderates and independents don’t stand a chance in American politics, says Hart.