Among Republicans, 82% say they have a close friend who is a member of the other party, compared with 64% of Democrats, according to the NBC News poll.
Despite a polarized, partisan political environment, most voters who consider themselves a member of a party say they have a close friend on the other side of the aisle, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
Self-identified moderate Republicans (87%) were 8 points more likely to say they have a close Democratic friend than conservative Republicans (79%). By the same token, moderate Democrats (78%) were 21 points more likely to say they have a close friend who is a Republican than liberal Democrats (57%).
Among voters categorized as “core” GOP supporters, 77% have a close Democratic friend, while 90% of “soft” Republican voters do. There was a similar gap between “core” Democratic voters, at 57%, and “soft” Democrats, at 73%, when it comes to having a close Republican friend.



That happens when groups get into purity spirals. When you push people who mostly agree with you away, they might find people that you really don’t agree with.
Purity spirals? How do you find the middle ground between freedom and fascism?