Nation united on division

There’s at least one thing we can all agree on — we are a divided nation.

The overwhelming majority of Americans believes that the US is sharply split, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Thursday.

Eight of 10 Americans say the country is riven by division. Only 20 percent believe the situation will improve any time soon, while 39 percent figure it will get worse.

While political tribalism has fueled at least some of the discord, 77 percent of Americans reported being dissatisfied with the state of US politics.

More than half said cam- paigns are not focusing enough on the key issues of health care, education, economic growth, Social Security and crime.

Just 25 percent of Americans are satisfied with the nation’s direction, while 58 percent are not.

The fault lines were predictable. Views about President Trump went in opposite directions depending on party affiliation — 83 percent of Republicans approve of the job he’s doing, while 92 percent of Democrats don’t.

Overall, 59 percent give Trump a thumbs down, while 40 percent approve of his job performance.

And while six in 10 Americans say it is important to confront the issues of sexual misconduct that have come to the fore in recent years, just 39 percent of Republicans said it was an important issue compared to 79 percent of Democrats.

Women, too, were more keen on the subject than men, 73 percent to 51 percent.

Americans are also sharply divided on the Supreme Court confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. Thirty-five percent strongly approve of his appointment to the Supreme Court, while 43 percent strongly disapprove.

The poll, conducted Oct. 11-14, quizzed 1,152 adults and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.