Political Polarization Particularly Strong in the U.S.

The share of people who consider themselves on the far left or far right of the political spectrum is particularly high in the United States, according to a survey by Statista Consumer Insights. Among U.S. respondents surveyed between July 2025 and June 2026, 15 percent placed themselves on the far left (0 on a 10-point scale) and 20 percent on the far right (10 on the same 10-point scale). By comparison, only 8 and 7 percent of Germans placed themselves at the extreme left and right of the scale, whereas 24 percent idetified as firmly centrist versus 16 percent of Americans.

In France, centrism is least prevalent, with just 11 percent identifying as such, while 13 percent place themselves on the far left and a notable 21 percent on the far right. It is also worth noting that 23 percent of surveyed French adults preferred not to answer, compared with 14 to 16 percent in the other countries studied. While similar shares of French and U.S. respondents identify with the left and right overall, positions at the far ends of the spectrum are slightly more pronounced in the United States. Attitudes in the United Kingdom broadly mirror those in Germany, though with a more pronounced shift toward the far-right end of the spectrum.