HOUSTON and EDGEWATER, Md. — Shanna Berry and Alma Ong are friends who generally avoid discussing politics to protect their relationship. But when they were asked about the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro, their assumptions about each other quickly changed.

Berry, a Christian, Air Force veteran and Trump supporter, said she believed the end of Maduro’s regime was necessary, while expressing uncertainty about the operation’s legal basis and possible links to Venezuela’s oil. Ong, who is more liberal and does not like the president, was surprised to find that she agreed with Berry’s assessment.

Their exchange reflects research suggesting that Americans may perceive greater political conflict than actually exists. Kristin Laurin, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia, said people often avoid political conversations because they fear disagreements. That silence can lead them to form inaccurate assumptions about others’ views.

Laurin also pointed to political elites and social media as forces that intensify the perception of division. Politicians may portray opponents as extreme to motivate voters, while social platforms promote provocative content because it generates engagement. As a result, she said, perceived polarization can greatly exceed actual polarization.

Researchers acknowledge that Americans have genuine political differences, but they also share values that do not always fit neatly into partisan categories. The reaction to the indictment of former FBI director James Comey over a social media post about seashells illustrated that point: some conservatives, as well as Democrats, objected to the case on First Amendment grounds.

Stan Fletcher, a restaurateur and three-time Trump voter, said he believes most Americans are moderates, while the most extreme voices on both sides receive disproportionate attention.

Data from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center also points to a more complicated political landscape. Pew divides Americans into nine groups based on their values and attitudes, rather than relying solely on Republican and Democratic labels.

One of those groups, the “Pragmatic and Polite Right,” includes both Republican- and Democratic-leaning Americans. Its members tend to be conservative on economic issues but more moderate on race and immigration, and they place significant importance on civility in politics.

Jocelyn Kiley, who leads politics research at Pew, said there is considerable variation within both major parties and substantial overlap between them. Pew estimates that this broad “messy middle” represents about 60% of the electorate, while the groups farthest to the right account for about 21% of the population.

Kiley said the United States is genuinely polarized, but added that the country also contains more nuance and shared ground than the dominant political labels suggest.

Sources: NPR News.