Study finds Democrats more politically segregated at work than Republicans
6 reported
A recent study estimates the extent of workplace political segregation in the United States by merging data covering over 45 million workers. The research, conducted by Justin Frake, Reuben Hurst, and Max Kagan, found that partisans are segregated by workplace, with the average Democrat’s coworkers being 11.7 percentage points more Democratic than the average Republican’s. After controlling for geography, industry, and occupation, segregation was 2.9 percentage points, comparable to gender segregation. The study also reported that segregation is largest among political donors and senior executives, and that Republicans experience higher exposure to Democrats than vice versa. Political segregation has changed little over time, with 2012 at 11.1 percentage points versus 2024 at 11.0 percentage points.
What’s reported
The study merged data covering over 45 million workers.
The average Democrat’s coworkers are 11.7 percentage points more Democratic than the average Republican’s.
After controlling for geography, industry, and occupation, segregation is 2.9 percentage points.
Segregation is largest among political donors (14.8 pp) and senior executives (14.7 pp).
The average Republican’s coworkers are 50% Democratic, while the average Democrat’s coworkers are 32% Republican.
Political segregation changed little from 2012 (11.1 pp) to 2024 (11.0 pp).
Key figures
Justin Frake (researcher)
Reuben Hurst (researcher)
Max Kagan (researcher)
Sources: marginalrevolution.com
