Political breakups: Interpersonal consequences of polarization

We explored the phenomenon of “political breakups,” i.e. losing relationships with friends, family members, romantic partners, or others due to political differences. We studied the conditions surrounding political breakups in the United States across four datasets (combined n = 3,791) and supplemented our findings using a proxy measure from the American National Election Studies. In a survey we conducted in April 2025, we found that 37% of Americans reported having had a political breakup, mostly with friends. The prevalence of breakups in the United States appears to have increased since 2016, although evidence is limited. Across all datasets, Democrats were more likely to have experienced a breakup compared with Republicans and were usually the initiator. Political breakups were associated with increased partisan hostility, above and beyond strength of partisanship: Those who reported breakups had more negative feelings toward their political opponents (especially voters rather than party elites), perceived them as more extreme, and ascribed selfish views to them. We discuss potential causes and call for more research on this phenomenon.