Polarization in US - some limited data

in the summer of the year 2021, I started spending a little bit of time in order to start understanding the sources of discontent and polarization in US.
my intention was to
first and foremost, find an accredited source that has good, non-partisan and honest data on this topic.
I cannot recall what the source was for column C (Affective polarization).
for the other columns, I added the sources directly as hyperlinks or as comments
here is the link to the document on google sheets. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16wTjB-5sc3IWjscyAkmNLIVnBxwkamHSzBSDkPV_Z7I/edit?usp=sharing
I was thinking that this must have something that definitely has hooks into maslow's heirarchy of needs. if the needs are not met, then polarization will rise. if you have pain in your body or your mind and there is no resolution, then it is more likely that the constant pain may make you feel disconnected from others. or if you don't have a roof on top of your head...or not enough food to eat.

this is a long discussion, and I have been observing this way before the year 2021
if this trend continues, I don't see a good outcome here. in fact it will be a very bad outcome for US, allies and the world at large
if it's starting with threats, tariffs and the normalization of hurting your own country people. then I shudder to think what will groups of people do and particularly when 'steps to superintelligence' are consolidated in specific circles
this approach of wringing realms and putting a strong-person is antithetical to a reality whereby democratic processes nurture the wider realm at the grass-roots level.
this very approach may work for the time being in a certain set of ways. but in the longer run, it is going to end up alienating almost everyone and leave the factions poorer than ever before. some more than others. and if by any chance there happens to be prosperity, then it will not be guided by growth that is good in a utilitarian sense
I feel that at this point the system has become extractive
it is possible that the sample size is of one. that would be me

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." — commonly attributed to Maya Angelou

from my side and as a citizen of the commonwealth, I genuinely believe in the original vision of freedom, liberty and justice for all
when a country person has turned against the other country person, then you don't need an enemy external to. the institution will collapse on its own. this is not something I hope or wish for
most of us have burnt someone else at some point in our lives. but now this has become normalized to the degree that this is, in large part what the media beams continuously and non-stop
we care more about what someone's views are on a certain topic vs to ask the person if they had a decent meal today

they say that a disaster is a series of events
for reality to change, the change cannot just be external to. and so, within reason, everyone has to change. the ultimate danger lies in the societal acceptance of dehumanization, whether triggered by real or perceived differences. the signs are there.

I still love my neighbors. I truly believe in the vision
I still show up, as a good servant would
but increasingly I cannot help but wonder, if all of my contributions are simply taken for granted.
then I wonder, if that's true then that's probably what is happening for all contributions not tied to one particular narrative or another
a people who have lead almost all of the major scientific and technological advancement during the past 150 years. as well have been the champions behind most (if not all) human-rights reforms. now the very people are beginning to turn on each other, why?
and if this is true, then what does the future hold.
give it a think

it is often said that:

You get what you measure

clearly more polarization is not the answer
finger-pointing and laying the blame on an adversary or enemy does absolve one, of one's own responsibility. one's responsibility towards regulating oneself (within reason) and then being there for your fellow-country person
and so the question then becomes, what should be measured and why?
but before that, how must imagination be applied? if that's even a question. because I think you need to be in a state of mind for you to imagine healthy and universally positive outcomes
but something tells me that the questions are an entirely different set, and I think that you have the questions that we one should be asking

credits:

image generated by gemini by google
there are some typos in the image

p.s: serious topic. but did you notice the groundhog in the image?