In an era often characterized by deep political division, a new national NBC News poll offers a contrasting perspective: a majority of voters who identify with a political party report having a close friend on the opposing side.
However, the survey also reveals a significant cross-party friendship gap, with Democrats notably less likely than Republicans to have a close friend from the other side of the aisle.
The Friendship Divide
The poll found that 82% of Republicans say they have at least one close friend who is a Democrat. In contrast, 64% of Democrats report having a close friend who is a Republican—an 18-point difference.
This disparity suggests that while cross-partisan relationships are common, they are less pervasive among the Democratic electorate.
Ideology Amplifies the Gap
The divide is most pronounced among the most ideologically committed and loyal members of each party, while moderates are more likely to bridge the gap:
- Moderate Republicans (87%) are eight points more likely than conservative Republicans (79%) to report a close Democratic friend.
- The difference is even starker on the Democratic side: Moderate Democrats (78%) are 21 points more likely than liberal Democrats (57%) to have a close Republican friend.
Similar trends were observed between “core” and “soft” party supporters: Soft Republican voters (90%) were significantly more likely than “core” GOP supporters (77%) to have a close Democratic friend. On the Democratic side, soft Democrats (73%) were also more likely than “core” Democratic voters (57%) to have a close Republican friend.
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