A new Pew study shows how profoundly polarizing the 2016 election has been for Americans.
The think-tank's new poll shows that 47% of Clinton supporters and 31% of Trump supporters say they have zero close friends who support the opposing candidate. Trump supporters do seem to have a broader set of friends with opposing views, with 67% saying they have at least a few friends supporting Clinton, compared with just 53% of Clinton backers saying they know a few Trump fans. Here's the graphic:
The most segregated groups (those with the highest responses of "no friends supporting the opponent") were young and black people.
Fewer than half the country has even had a conversation with someone from the opposing side's camp (37% for Trump supporters; 40% for Clinton ones). Trump supporters appear to enjoy talking about the race with other Trump supporters slightly more than Clinton backers do with other Clinton supporters.
Most respondents (58%) said they "don't mind" if people know who they support but also “don’t go out of their way to say it.” Just a third say they are “pretty outspoken with others” about their voting preferences.
The survey was conducted June 7–July 5 (so before the conventions) among 4,602 adults, including 3,834 registered voters.
Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.