A new set of studies suggests that Democrats in America overall express a stronger public dislike toward Republicans than Republicans do toward Democrats, and it’s apparently not just due to differing policies.
The study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP), may point to a deeper, more personal division in 2025’s political climate that continues to see more chirping volleys online.
According to a report from GWI, “US Gen Z are 58% more likely to consume political info on social media than they are on TV.”
Across seven independent studies from JPSP, including investigations into social media patterns and other, more “real-life” interactions, researchers consistently found that Democrats were more likely to socially reject Republicans, block them online, or negatively evaluate them in professional or personal interactions.
Republicans, by contrast, were generally less “reactive,” according to the study.
The underlying reason, according to lead researcher Dr. Krishnan Nair, appears to be leaning towards a “moral” concern.
“I have a politically diverse social network, and it has been sad seeing friendships break over politics in the past decade. I personally believe that there is much more to someone than who they voted for. This inspired me to better understand why people feel intense dislike and sometimes, outright hatred, against others over their politics,” Nair said.
In one study by JPSP, Democrats were much more likely to block social media accounts that identified as Republican, particularly when those accounts did not express support for certain progressive causes like “racial equality.”
But, in terms of how these outlooks might impact employment opportunities on a political bias, Democrats also rated Republican job applicants “poorly” at a higher rate than compared to republican hirers, allegedly assuming they might harm “disadvantaged” coworkers.
Meanwhile, Republicans were less likely to judge Democrat applicants through the same moral lens, per the JPSP report.