Washington ( CNN ) -- In the enclaves of Richmond , Virginia , the political and ideological dividing line is a highway . On one side of Interstate 195 is Windsor Farms , a wealthy community designed to look like an English village . It is home to a historic country club and its residents are 75 % Republican , according to an analysis by the Cook Political Report . On the other side of the highway is Carytown , a community that prides itself on its urban chic shops and restaurants . It held a craft beer festival this past weekend and its residents are 75 % Democrat . `` Clearly one side of the city of Richmond is very old money and conservative and on the other side of the street , it 's a very progressive college community , '' said David Wasserman , U.S. House editor for the Cook Political Report . `` This is a fairly recent development . We 've never seen this type of polarization on a neighborhood level to such a degree and it 's only increasing . '' The growth in the number of Americans who sort themselves into communities like Windsor Farms or Carytown , consistently express either liberal or conservative views and the disappearing overlap between those two groups illustrates why the country â€ ” and the Congress -- is so divided , according to a new study by the Pew Research Center . `` Voters are plenty to blame for the current predicament they complain about , '' Wasserman said . `` People want to live next to others who share their political and cultural values . It makes it easier for politicians to gerrymander because voters are already presorted . '' And that type of redistricting means a more hyper-partisan class of voters is more likely to send like-minded , hyper-partisan lawmakers to Washington to represent them , political analysts said . It 's your fault : How our 'tribes ' help create gridlock in Congress . The Pew report found that increasingly , the most politically active and engaged Americans are opting to live in `` ideological silos , '' communities peopled with like-minded individuals who passionately hold on to partisan views and eschew those whose opinions differ . Among the report 's findings : . Why does this matter ? Because , as the report points out , over the past 20 years , `` partisan animosity has increased substantially '' â€ ” more than doubling , in fact . The most politically engaged Americans are most likely to see only the rightness of their own positions and view the opposing sides ideas as `` so misguided that they threaten the nation 's well-being . '' Meanwhile , the majority of Americans , those who hold more centrist views , are content to sit on the sidelines , staying out of the political fray , the Pew report found . This is a recipe for legislative gridlock , political demographers and analysts said . Lynne Cheney : Partisanship is a Madisonian principle . Think of it as a ripple effect , Bill Bishop , co-author of `` The Big Sort : Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart , '' told CNN last year . `` Like-minded groups , over time , become more extreme in how they 're like-minded , '' he said . This means in order to be considered a `` good Democrat '' or `` good Republican '' citizens , and the lawmakers who represent them , are pressured to think and vote only in a certain , partisan way , political demographers and analysts have found . And woe the person who votes against the group-think . Take for example , Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor , whose 7th Congressional District includes Windsor Farms . His opponent , Dave Brat , a political newcomer and economics professor was able to use Cantor 's openness to considering a path to citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants as an example of how the veteran lawmaker was out of touch with his conservative base . Cantor lost the Republican primary on Tuesday by double digits . Down but not done : Cantor 's loss not end for immigration reform . Cantor had been `` taking conservative position after conservative position after conservative position , but almost 100 % was n't enough for these folks , '' CNN political analyst John Avlon said .
Politically engaged Americans are increasingly partisan , according to a new Pew poll . Hyper-partisanship at the local level eventually leads to hyper-partisanship in Congress , experts say . Those who trend more moderate are also less likely to be politically-engaged , the Pew poll found . Score: 6