Over the last twenty-five years, the difference between Democrats and Republicans on the role of government has grown to about what percentage?

• A. 8
• B. 18
• C. 26
• D. 34

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how polarized opinions about government size and involvement have become between the two parties. Democrats tend to favor a more active government with broader social programs, while Republicans favor smaller government and less intervention. Over the past twenty-five years, this difference in stance has widened, and the gap sits at about 18 percentage points. That means, on typical questions about how big the government should be, the average Democrat’s position is about 18 points more toward greater government activity than the average Republican’s position. The other numbers would imply a much smaller or much larger gap, which doesn’t match the observed trend of a steady, moderate widening in the partisan divide.