Why We're Polarized
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- Create Date：2021-07-09 08:52:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ezra Klein
- ISBN：1476700362
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Summary
This New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller shows us that America’s political system isn’t broken。 The truth is scarier: it’s working exactly as designed。 In this “superbly researched” （The Washington Post） and timely book， journalist Ezra Klein reveals how that system is polarizing us—and how we are polarizing it—with disastrous results。
“The American political system—which includes everyone from voters to journalists to the president—is full of rational actors making rational decisions given the incentives they face，” writes political analyst Ezra Klein。 “We are a collection of functional parts whose efforts combine into a dysfunctional whole。”
“A thoughtful， clear and persuasive analysis” （The New York Times Book Review）， Why We’re Polarized reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America’s descent into division and dysfunction。 Neither a polemic nor a lament， this book offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump’s rise to the Democratic Party’s leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture。
America is polarized， first and foremost， by identity。 Everyone engaged in American politics is engaged， at some level， in identity politics。 Over the past fifty years in America， our partisan identities have merged with our racial， religious， geographic， ideological， and cultural identities。 These merged identities have attained a weight that is breaking much in our politics and tearing at the bonds that hold this country together。
Klein shows how and why American politics polarized around identity in the 20th century， and what that polarization did to the way we see the world and one another。 And he traces the feedback loops between polarized political identities and polarized political institutions that are driving our system toward crisis。
“Well worth reading” （New York magazine）， this is an “eye-opening” （O， The Oprah Magazine） book that will change how you look at politics—and perhaps at yourself。
“The American political system—which includes everyone from voters to journalists to the president—is full of rational actors making rational decisions given the incentives they face，” writes political analyst Ezra Klein。 “We are a collection of functional parts whose efforts combine into a dysfunctional whole。”
“A thoughtful， clear and persuasive analysis” （The New York Times Book Review）， Why We’re Polarized reveals the structural and psychological forces behind America’s descent into division and dysfunction。 Neither a polemic nor a lament， this book offers a clear framework for understanding everything from Trump’s rise to the Democratic Party’s leftward shift to the politicization of everyday culture。
America is polarized， first and foremost， by identity。 Everyone engaged in American politics is engaged， at some level， in identity politics。 Over the past fifty years in America， our partisan identities have merged with our racial， religious， geographic， ideological， and cultural identities。 These merged identities have attained a weight that is breaking much in our politics and tearing at the bonds that hold this country together。
Klein shows how and why American politics polarized around identity in the 20th century， and what that polarization did to the way we see the world and one another。 And he traces the feedback loops between polarized political identities and polarized political institutions that are driving our system toward crisis。
“Well worth reading” （New York magazine）， this is an “eye-opening” （O， The Oprah Magazine） book that will change how you look at politics—and perhaps at yourself。
Reviews
Erin Adwell Teague
，
The book is well-written and thoroughly readable， but because I’m reading a couple years after publication， most of the insights have shown up elsewhere。
Caleb Ludrick
，
In summary why we're polarized: natural sorting of group identity and demographic shifts that now align with political parties。 Also Republicans bad。 In summary why we're polarized: natural sorting of group identity and demographic shifts that now align with political parties。 Also Republicans bad。 。。。more
Brian Weaver
，
A wake up call for Democrats
Austin O'Connell
，
I read this book， a while ago so I am going to quickly reread the main sections in order to give a comprehensive review。
Jessica Bishop-Royse
，
Really good。 Ezra has a very engaging narrator voice。 Loved it。
Kalle Wescott
，
I read /Why We're Polarized/， by Ezra Klein:https://www。newyorker。com/books/under。。。An interesting， in-depth analysis of the modern American two-party system。 I read /Why We're Polarized/， by Ezra Klein:https://www。newyorker。com/books/under。。。An interesting， in-depth analysis of the modern American two-party system。 。。。more
Sean
，
YOU， Ezra。 YOU are why we are polarized you ass。
Pmslax
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Probably better than 3 stars but the whole thing bodes poorly for the country and is depressing。Trouble is attributed to the dissolution of the Democratic coalition when the Dixiecrats pulled out because of the 1965 Voting rights act。
Reid Anderson
，
Klein， through data， statistics， and historical record， describes what motivates voters and politicians。 In doing so， he identifies the forces shaping our identities and political systems。 People reading this book with an open mind will take away new ways of understanding political institutions， communities， and individuals。
Scott Ford
，
Cogent perspectives offered on our current political circumstances by one of New York Times' most popular editorialists。 Best take-away: There's nothing new under the sun， we're just emerging from 20th-century cross-over ideology within the two political parties to 21st-century party homogeneity。 In other words， our current political context looks more like what one might have found in the 1800s。 Still arguing about many of the same things。。。 Cogent perspectives offered on our current political circumstances by one of New York Times' most popular editorialists。 Best take-away: There's nothing new under the sun， we're just emerging from 20th-century cross-over ideology within the two political parties to 21st-century party homogeneity。 In other words， our current political context looks more like what one might have found in the 1800s。 Still arguing about many of the same things。。。 。。。more
Teresa
，
Excellent analysis of our current political reality and how we got here。 A good reminder to stay involved， especially locally。
Stella
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What is it with American politics' total lack of international perspective What is it with American politics' total lack of international perspective 。。。more
Meredith Huddle
，
Thought-provoking。
Daniel Sloyer
，
An interesting start that got worse as it went on and never seemed to convince me why we are in the situation we are。
Teddy
，
dnf @ 31%If you try to argue that someone facing a candidate threatening their civil rights is the same as someone not liking a candidate that's out of touch with rural voters， you need to re-think your priorities。 dnf @ 31%If you try to argue that someone facing a candidate threatening their civil rights is the same as someone not liking a candidate that's out of touch with rural voters， you need to re-think your priorities。 。。。more
David V
，
This book provided a very interesting perspective on how the country has become so polarized over the past 10-20 years。 It provides the historical background of the 20th century when the parties were more internally diverse and more similar to each other， and then takes us through all the shifts that have occurred - political， economic， ideological， technological。There is a lot of discussion regarding identity and how much we are now wrapped up in how we see ourselves as Republicans or Democrats This book provided a very interesting perspective on how the country has become so polarized over the past 10-20 years。 It provides the historical background of the 20th century when the parties were more internally diverse and more similar to each other， and then takes us through all the shifts that have occurred - political， economic， ideological， technological。There is a lot of discussion regarding identity and how much we are now wrapped up in how we see ourselves as Republicans or Democrats， as opposed to other identities we may have in our social or work lives。 The author， who now works for the New York Times， presents a relatively even-handed approach throughout most of the book。 He is forthright in holding the media accountable for their contribution to our current divide。 However， in one of the final chapters， he stakes out a very specific position in regarding to the the Republican party in the Trump era， so "buyer beware" based on your personal feelings。One of the things I particularly liked about the book is that is focuses much more on the "why" than on solutions。 This is a very complex issue right now with no easy answers。 The author's acknowledgement of that reality lent more credibility to the book than if he had put forth a bunch of platitudes at the end。 。。。more
Nick Hardy
，
Far from politically neutral， but kudos for being: - Succinct - Objective about identify politics on both sides of the aisle - Data-driven An interesting read for people like myself who Klein would classify as moderate “political hobbyists” seeking to understand the mechanics and undertows of an increasingly polarized American political system。 The data Klein uses to convey this widening divide provided arguments not rooted in like or dislike for a certain political figure。 For example， in discu Far from politically neutral， but kudos for being: - Succinct - Objective about identify politics on both sides of the aisle - Data-driven An interesting read for people like myself who Klein would classify as moderate “political hobbyists” seeking to understand the mechanics and undertows of an increasingly polarized American political system。 The data Klein uses to convey this widening divide provided arguments not rooted in like or dislike for a certain political figure。 For example， in discussing the obstruction of Merrick Garland’s Supreme Court nomination， Klein cites that there were 103 prior instances where Supreme Court confirmation proceedings were enacted in the year preceding an election。 （Although in fairness， Klein certainly doesn’t come across as a fan of Mitch McConnell…）。Worth the quick read！ 。。。more
David Baer
，
This book was an absolutely fascinating read， although I think that Klein does a better job of articulating the evidence that we are polarized， than to the root causes of the polarization。 As near as I can discern， Klein’s “why we are polarized” starts with the founder’s failing to anticipate that political parties would exist。 The founders assumed that in the future， as it was in their time， people would continue to identify primarily with their home State， rather than with abstract allegiance This book was an absolutely fascinating read， although I think that Klein does a better job of articulating the evidence that we are polarized， than to the root causes of the polarization。 As near as I can discern， Klein’s “why we are polarized” starts with the founder’s failing to anticipate that political parties would exist。 The founders assumed that in the future， as it was in their time， people would continue to identify primarily with their home State， rather than with abstract allegiances at the national level。 Thus， the Constitution’s balancing arrangements assume that the parties to the competition are States， and not parties。 “Sure， you may be a Republican， and that bill may be pushed by Democrats， but you’re a Republican from Oklahoma， dammit， and that bill is good for Oklahoma。”Next， the Internet happened， and market forces in an Internet age caused media organizations to shift their strategy from a monopolistic one of being enough things to all people， to one of being the most appealing thing to some people。 This set up the now-familiar “information bubble” dynamic， where people steer （or are steered） towards content that is ever more contentious and confrontational。 Whereas you cater to people’s interests by providing information， you cater to people’s identity with socialization – the interactive nature of Internet media thus provides a reinforcement loop for group identity。 With political information， this cycle has created a polarization between people calling themselves “conservative” and other people considering themselves “liberals。”To appeal to a polarized public， political institutions and actors behave in more polarized ways。 As the institutions and actors become more polarized， they further polarize the public。 This exacerbates the feedback cycle。 As I said， Klein is much stronger at articulating the evidence that we are polarized。 In particular， he does a fantastic job of putting the Trump phenomenon in the proper context: in the end， despite the outlandishness of his pronouncements， Trump was just another Republican （conservative） candidate， who garnered essentially the same share of the male vote， the female vote， the White vote， the Hispanic vote， and so on。 For most Republicans， there proved to be no contradiction between conservatism and Trumpism。 Quite the opposite。 For most， conservatism is not an ideology; it is a group identity。Both parties are not equally to blame。 Klein quotes approvingly from the book “It’s Even Worse than it Looks” by Thomas Mann。 Only the Republican Party has actively opposed society’s central information-gathering and disseminating institutions – universities and the news media – while Democrats have remained reliant on those institutions to justify policy choices and engage in political debate， considering them both independent arbiters and allies。 Although each party’s elites， activists， and voters now depend on different sources of knowledge， and selectively interpret the messages they receive， the source of this information polarization is the American conservative movement’s decades-long battle against institutions that it has deemed irredeemably liberal。Klein may be irredeemably liberal， but he writes with an awareness of himself and of the legitimacy of other points of view that ought to make this book accessible to readers of any political stripe。 。。。more
Zach Koenig
，
The phrase "everything is just so polarized now" is one oft-thrown around when speaking about the American political environment。 But what does that really mean and how， as a democratic nation， did we get to this point？ Those are the questions that Ezra Klein tackles in "Why We're Polarized"， and does so in an extremely thoughtful， well-researched way。Going back to the separation of the Democrats and "Dixie-crats" in the 1960s， Klein builds a case that political polarization has been increasing The phrase "everything is just so polarized now" is one oft-thrown around when speaking about the American political environment。 But what does that really mean and how， as a democratic nation， did we get to this point？ Those are the questions that Ezra Klein tackles in "Why We're Polarized"， and does so in an extremely thoughtful， well-researched way。Going back to the separation of the Democrats and "Dixie-crats" in the 1960s， Klein builds a case that political polarization has been increasing since that point。 In some ways， the parties themselves have created a polarizing effect on the electorate。 In other ways， however， individuals themselves drive the separation， what with the psychological phenomena of valuing myriad personal identities （and "stacking" them） to create political identities that are "all or nothing"。 Via those topics--and many more--Klein makes many compelling points about the nature of political difference in today's USA。Make no mistake， though--"Why We're Polarized" is a bit of a tough read。 Not a "beach day excursion" by any stretch of the imagination。 It is dense with numbers， concepts， and theories。 I could have studied the material for months and certainly gotten more out of it than my two-week read。 But the quality of the information was so relevant that I can't give it anything below 5 stars。I'll also add that I believe Klein to be pretty fair in his assessment of blame when it comes to the current dual-party system。 Does the Republican Party take a bit more flak？ Sure。 But only insofar as it holds such an inherent electorate advantage that many polarization problems come from its lack of incentive to change （e。g。 appeal to a wider electorate）。 Be assured that Democrats get their share of blame here as well。 。。。more
Elma Chowdhury
，
Not really sure how to review non-fiction other than it was an enlightening read。 I often shy away from non-fiction in fear that it will be boring but this book was totally engaging。I appreciated the integration of psychology， behavioral neuroscience and sociology into the analysis。 He uses concepts from these sciences to demonstrate one of my fav arguments in the book: the innate human desire to be accepted by a social group keeps people voting along party lines regardless of how they feel ab t Not really sure how to review non-fiction other than it was an enlightening read。 I often shy away from non-fiction in fear that it will be boring but this book was totally engaging。I appreciated the integration of psychology， behavioral neuroscience and sociology into the analysis。 He uses concepts from these sciences to demonstrate one of my fav arguments in the book: the innate human desire to be accepted by a social group keeps people voting along party lines regardless of how they feel ab the candidateKlein also corroborated two things that I already believe: 1） filibusters suck and must go 2） mitch mcconnell/turtleman is always up to some evil 。。。more
Sarah Smith
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Definitely an interesting and upsetting book。 Some of it felt redundant but other parts made me truly reflect on my partisan identity。 Ezra Klein is a good writer and pulls from many resources for this。 Definitely a must read for people who give a shit about politics and our democracy。
Thomas Daly
，
Since the 2016 election I've become fascinated by how our country has come to have two distinct realities。 Ezra Klein has helped me to understand how it came to be。 Highly recommended。 Since the 2016 election I've become fascinated by how our country has come to have two distinct realities。 Ezra Klein has helped me to understand how it came to be。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Matthew
，
Unbelievable。。。The author has full on tds yet writes a book on how to be less polarized
Ivan Dickson
，
I really liked his examination of the evolution of political parties over the past 100 years into what they are today。 Also I enjoyed his discussion of identity and it's role in politics。 Most of the time I hear about "identity politics" it's kind of a hand-waving， dismissive phrase。 But the idea that as humans we are all very sensitive to the different identities that we simultaneously have， and that political parties have been using those identities （or maybe abusing them？） as an avenue to rea I really liked his examination of the evolution of political parties over the past 100 years into what they are today。 Also I enjoyed his discussion of identity and it's role in politics。 Most of the time I hear about "identity politics" it's kind of a hand-waving， dismissive phrase。 But the idea that as humans we are all very sensitive to the different identities that we simultaneously have， and that political parties have been using those identities （or maybe abusing them？） as an avenue to reach voters， has led to some very interesting discussions with my wife， and a new perspective to see how/where my own reactions to political messages might stem from。I wish that I could say I recommend it as a great read that everyone needs to hear （like The Righteous Mind）， but his tone is REALLY dismissive of republicans as a whole， and a little self-aggrandizing of the democrats， so he's already writing off half of his potential audience， even if he claims they are the ones who need to hear his message the most。As an aside， in his reading of the audiobook， he does this thing where he repeats statistics a second time with extra emphasis to try to make it sound more dramatic （"54 percent。。。 FIFTY FOUR PERCENT"， etc）。 But he does it EVERY SINGLE TIME。 Just a minor annoyance and I hope that's not in the actual text， but it really gets to you after 8 hours。。。 。。。more
Graham
，
Helped me understand a lot of what is happening in American politics today。 No， it's not an exhaustive study。 No， it's not through and through entirely new information。 It's a short book， though， which offers a concise， approachable， and interdisciplinary synthesis of a lot of information most readers would likely not otherwise encounter arranged as Klein has arranges。 Consequently， his arguments are novel， even if they don't consist of all entirely new parts。 Best of all， Klein does （endearingl Helped me understand a lot of what is happening in American politics today。 No， it's not an exhaustive study。 No， it's not through and through entirely new information。 It's a short book， though， which offers a concise， approachable， and interdisciplinary synthesis of a lot of information most readers would likely not otherwise encounter arranged as Klein has arranges。 Consequently， his arguments are novel， even if they don't consist of all entirely new parts。 Best of all， Klein does （endearingly and characteristically self-consciously） offer up a few potential partial solutions in his concluding chapter。 Many thinkers don't; it's such a relief when they do。 5/5 recommend for anyone already a fan of Klein。 5/5 recommend for hobbyist wonks， even if you don't care one way or another for Klein。5/5 recommend for citizens who want to understand what we each can be doing to participate in / strengthen US democracy。5/5 recommend for those more interested in topics other than politics which happen to depend upon US politics （like the environment， racial justice， LGBTQ rights， etc。） who just want to better understand why American politics are so dysfunctional today。Just remember， whoever you are and whatever you wish to understand about American politics， history， culture， psychology， etcetera—no single book， no matter how good， can contain all the answers to these vast and extraordinarily complex topics。 To my mind， good books about politics， history， and culture provide some answers and some new questions， but great books on these topics provide some answers， many questions， and a fantastic bibliography to guide you deeper into the topic（s） at hand。 In my humble opinion， Klein's short， accessible， and informative little volume is a great book on the general "state" of American consciousness， chock full of resources should Klein's arguments leave you wanting to dig deeper。 。。。more
Evan
，
Klein's book is interesting and engaging; it's particularly challenging in arguing why there are strong structural reasons for ongoing polarization。Klein makes compelling points as far as the benefits of compromise historically （as Democrats mainly controlled Congress for decades）， and to explain why the Republican party is less an amalgam of interests， and therefore more interested in purity of identity。All that said， the arguments don't flow cleanly from one to another， instead it seems a coll Klein's book is interesting and engaging; it's particularly challenging in arguing why there are strong structural reasons for ongoing polarization。Klein makes compelling points as far as the benefits of compromise historically （as Democrats mainly controlled Congress for decades）， and to explain why the Republican party is less an amalgam of interests， and therefore more interested in purity of identity。All that said， the arguments don't flow cleanly from one to another， instead it seems a collection of studies all pushed together。 And sadly， there aren't many solutions - which isn't Klein's fault， but is sad （although decreasing the focus on national politics and news and increasing the focus on local and state issues is key - something I've long pushed for）。Anyone who wants to understand today's politics and why we're so polarized would be wise to read this。 。。。more
Alan Gerstle
，
Ezra Klein is a nice guy。 He is personable and thoughtful during his podcast or when he is a member of a TV panel。 However， this book is a mess， such a mess that you'd have to write a book of equal length to point out all the problems in logic。 However， most books that rely on and try to make general observations based on 'social science' experiments are pretty messy， so one shouldn't be too harsh。 For one thing， social science research is notoriously unreliable。 I know that from reading much of Ezra Klein is a nice guy。 He is personable and thoughtful during his podcast or when he is a member of a TV panel。 However， this book is a mess， such a mess that you'd have to write a book of equal length to point out all the problems in logic。 However， most books that rely on and try to make general observations based on 'social science' experiments are pretty messy， so one shouldn't be too harsh。 For one thing， social science research is notoriously unreliable。 I know that from reading much of it and also conducting it。 Conclusions that Ezra makes， like we need to dislike or hate opposing sports 'teams' as a left-over development from historical times in which we were hunter gatherers is evolutionary biological speculation， and poor evolutionary biology and poor speculation as well。 Do you think that because a particular team lost an imptortant game or series that fans would develop murderous feelings， including destroying their own stadium， which somehow Klein equates with self-destructive behavior as though sports fans are enamored of their own team's stadium？ The solution to finding motivation for developing us vs。 them hatred， is， it seems， to do social science research or conduct interviews with the offenders--even though self-reporting is notoriously inaccurate。 Why not start with the premise that sports fanatics tend to seek protection in identifying with their teams， and try to understand why they do while many people don't。 I was a fanatic for 'my' sports team when I was ten， but now I don't really care who wins or loses。 Did I jettison my generations of evolutionary developmen in the course of 15 years？ I don't think so。 It's easy to cherry pick 'scholars' that are on your side， and just as easy to find a group that disagrees。 What is surprising is that Ezra Klein doesn't have the excuse of needing a publication to get tenure。 Now I'm sorry I even began writing this 'review。' The book is so riddled with supposition that it doesn't warrant spending much time on it--at least not my time。 。。。more
Jessica Richards
，
This is one of the best political books I have read。 I am a big fan of Ezra Klein & this book was even better than expected。 It’s a great exploration into the polarization of our country and politics。
Linda Snow
，
This may not be a book for everyone， but Ezra Klein seems so brilliant and always in the zone of whatever’s happening in America。 He’s an understandable and interesting explainer， especially in this book， about social structure and political dynamics in this time， which I am honestly having a very tough struggle to understand。
Evan O'Brien
，
rly good， does a lot to challenge/provide nuanced perspective to populist politics on both left and right。 paints our current dysfunction less as a result of a class of bad faith actors （I mean， yeah still） but also a result of a system designed in the 1700s slowly eating itself with bad incentives and negative feedback loops。highly recommend！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Why We're Polarized
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Why We're Polarized&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Why We're Polarized&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0