Poll: Louisianans slightly less polarized, more interested in politics than nation

Respondents share strong desire for common ground, support for constitutional values

BATON ROUGE — As election season intensifies, LSU’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs and the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR) released findings today from a statewide opinion poll that measures benchmarks of political polarization across Louisiana compared to national trends.

The 2026 Louisiana Common Ground Survey, conducted by LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab, is part of the Reilly Center and PAR’s partnership to understand and reduce political polarization in the state, while promoting dialogue and civic thought.

In addition to gauging polarization, the poll measured areas of shared values, trust in institutions, civic participation and media use. Where possible, the Louisiana survey responses are compared to responses from identical poll questions in national surveys.

“On an abstract level, people in Louisiana appear to feel just as negatively about the opposing political party as they do nationwide, but there are more positive signs when you take it out of the realm of the abstract,” said Michael DiResto, director of the Reilly Center. “It’s said that all politics is local, and Louisianans not only understand that mantra but live by it, comfortably talking to people they politically disagree with, while steering clear of such talk on social media.”

“These findings show that Louisianans can disagree on politics while still sharing important democratic values. That broad commitment to free speech, equal opportunity and constitutional principles creates space for more constructive debate and cooperation,” said Steven Procopio, president of PAR.

Key takeaways from the survey include:

•  Louisiana residents appear to be equally or slightly less polarized than the rest of the country, especially when it comes to their feelings about their own and the opposing political party. Importantly, Louisiana’s polarization score dropped 10 points when people were asked to rate someone of those parties who they know personally.
• Louisiana residents are more interested in politics than Americans as a whole and talk about it more with others.
• In a potential sign of civic health, 70% of those surveyed reported having had a real-life conversation in the last month with someone who has very different political views from their own, while only 8% said they frequently post about politics on social media.
• On other issues suggesting unity across the state, 81% of Louisiana residents polled want to see elected officials working harder to find common ground across the aisle; 74% said they believe the values set forth in the U.S. Constitution are as relevant today as in the past; and 92% agreed that all Americans deserve an equal opportunity to succeed, no matter their race or ethnicity.
• Similar unity can be found on issues regarding political speech, with 91% of Louisiana poll respondents agreeing that free speech rights should apply equally to all groups, regardless of their political beliefs.
• Of those polled in Louisiana, 70% said violence is never justified to achieve political goals, though a concerning 14% said it can sometimes be justified. 

The poll, with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 %, surveyed 1,046 Louisiana residents by phone and online between November 2025 and March 2026. The results incorporate statistical weights in the analysis of responses to adjust for likelihood of participation and to ensure each sample represents the geographic and demographic distributions of the adult population of Louisiana.

The Louisiana Common Ground Survey is one component of the nonpartisan Common Ground Project, launched by the Reilly Center and PAR in August 2025 to explore what it means to communicate in a polarized world and provide LSU students and Louisiana citizens with real- world opportunities for engaging constructively across ideological viewpoints.

Other Common Ground Project programming designed to “lower the temperature” includes Civic Sips, a quarterly discussion series that invites Louisiana citizens to join in casual but serious conversations related to civic responsibility, state policy issues and polarization sources and remedies. A monthly on-campus discussion series, Pizza & Public Affairs, brings LSU students together with a public official, civic leader, public affairs practitioner, journalist or polarization expert, who shares with students a successful policy or program outcome achieved by building coalitions and communicating in a way that bridges division.

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LSU’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs

Founded in 2000, the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs explores meaningful ways to enhance and elevate public discourse at the local, state and national levels.

Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana (PAR)

Founded in 1950, PAR is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and civic engagement organization dedicated to good governance, transparency and informed policy.