Survey: How our divided social networks explain our politic
More than three-quarters (77 percent) of white Americans report that their core social network includes only people who are also white. Close to six in 10 (56 percent) black Americans have social networks composed entirely of people who are also black. Less than half of Asian Americans (39 percent) and Hispanic Americans (30 percent) have core social networks that include only members of their own race or ethnic background
Most partisans have close social ties that reflect their political predispositions. A majority (53 percent) of Republicans report that their core social network is exclusively composed of Donald Trump supporters. The pattern is nearly identical among Democrats (55 percent).
Americans with politically like-minded social ties are less inclined to rethink their positions. Nearly half (46 percent) of people with politically diverse networks say they question their assumptions when talking to people with different political views. In contrast, only 34 percent of Americans with politically homogeneous networks say the same.
Americans with politically diverse networks report more frequent criticism. More than half (54 percent) of Americans embedded in a politically diverse social network say they have been criticized for their views in the past 12 months, compared to 36 percent of Americans who have politically homogeneous networks. Equal numbers of Democrats (43 percent) and Republicans (43 percent) report that they have been criticized or attacked for expressing a political opinion in the past 12 months.