Americans Blame Trump for Nation's Negative Political Discourse
- 80% say ‘heated’ language could lead to violence, survey shows
- Half say talking about politics is stressful, frustrating
Donald Trump
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A large majority of Americans feel the nation’s political discourse has become more negative, as well as less respectful, fact-based and substantive -- and they say President Donald Trump is a major reason.
A Pew Research Center survey released Wednesday showed that more than half of the respondents said Trump has changed the tone and nature of political discussion for the worse, while only 24% said he’s changed it for the better. Half said talking about politics with people they disagree with is “stressful and frustrating.” And Republicans said that members of their party are less comfortable than Democrats in “freely and fairly” expressing their views.