In the world of
politics,
polarization (or
polarisation) can refer to the divergence of political attitudes to ideological extremes. Polarization can refer to such divergence like public opinion or even to such divergence within certain groups. Almost all discussions of polarization in
political science consider polarization in the context of
political parties and democratic systems of government. When polarization occurs in a
two-party system, like the
United States, moderate voices often lose power and influence. According to the Pew Forum, America has never been more polarized, except perhaps during the period leading up to the
American Civil War.