Florida is the most politically polarized state in the country
Bottom Line: Political polarization isn’t anything new and it’s on display across the country daily. You need not go any further than outside of your front door to find the least politically tolerant people (of those with differing political perspectives). A new study by Predict Wise found Florida to be the most politically intolerant state in the country. This is measured by studying the degree to which we’re tolerant of those who differ with us on political issues.
In the study a scale of 0-100 was used. A zero means a community is completely understanding of differing political perspectives. One hundred means zero tolerance for those of differing political views. In this study Florida was the only state in the country with every region/county with a score of 91 or higher. And what’s the least politically intolerant county within the least tolerant state?
Palm Beach County’s score is 99. This illustrates a couple of points. First, a lack of tolerance is a bi-partisan thing. Those on the left might march with signs that reference it but in reality, they’re among the least tolerant people in our society. Second, it’s no wonder that there are many politically frustrated people in South Florida. There’s less tolerance here than pretty much anywhere else. Third, Governor Ron DeSantis’s approval ratings are that much more impressive through this prism, he’s done what few do in our state thus far. He’s managed to crack through rigid divisions in the early going of his administration. Maybe that can be a catalyst for more discourse and less angst in Florida? I won’t hold my breath, but it’d probably serve all of us well if it happened.