Nearly half of eligible U.S. voters think the opposing political party is “downright bad,” according to a new poll by Johns Hopkins University.

The division of the country was clear illustrated survey, which was held twice, the first between July 26 and 30 – just weeks after the first assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump – and the second between September 6 and 18 by the university’s SNF Agora Institute.

About 2,000 respondents were divided into five categories for the poll — Republicans who think Donald Trump won the 2020 election, Republicans who think Joe Biden won the 2020 election, Democrats, independents and then everyone.

Among Republicans who think Trump won in 2020, three-quarters think Democrats are bad.

On the other hand, half of Democrats thought Republicans were bad, according to the poll.

The poll’s creators said these divisive beliefs are dangerous for the country’s democracy.

“Eviling our political opponents is a signal that we see them as enemies and not opponents,” said Lilliana Mason, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University who studies political violence and polarization.

“The work of governing a democracy requires compromise and mutual respect. These feelings make this respect almost impossible, which threatens the health of democracy.”

Survey respondents answered questions about their party affiliation, political identities, the results of the 2020 election, where they get their information and what they think of people from other parties. The published findings are based on responses from 2,000 respondents who create a demographically and politically representative sample of the American electorate, pollsters said.

Mason and Scott Warren, two SNF Agora Fellows, co-led the project and created the survey in an attempt to determine where exactly the country’s voting body is located leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the Johns Hopkins University Hub reported.

The information gathered from the two polls points to a strong and growing divide between Republicans known as “choice deniers” and the rest of the electorate, especially when it comes to issues based on gender and race, the researchers said.

“The denial of the 2020 election has become an identity issue as much as a substantive policy measure,” Warren said.

“Republicans who believe in the results of the 2020 election have strikingly pro-democracy views and may feel they don’t have a political home right now. Right now, it’s critical that we understand how to include them in our democracy.”

The data suggests that those who disapprove of the Republican election are less likely to believe that a woman should be president, with 28% believing that women are meant to take care of a home rather than work a job.

More than 80 percent of those who disagree with the choice also strongly or somewhat agreed that black Americans should overcome prejudice “with no special favors,” as did the “Irish, Italian, and Jewish ethnicities” of – throughout the 20th century.

Election naysayers and Republicans who believe Biden won in 2020 said they were most motivated to vote by the state of the economy, immigration and crime. Democrats, meanwhile, said they prioritized abortion, the economy and democracy, according to the poll.

Independents had a mixed bag – listing the economy, immigration and abortion as the main issues that affected their vote.

A third round of voting is scheduled to take place before next week’s November general election.