CNN poll finds country sharply divided following Donald Trump's election victory

Impact

President-elect Donald Trump has promised to help heal the nation following an extremely bitter election campaign, but a CNN/ORC poll released Sunday suggests Americans are not moving on quite so quickly.

While respondents believed Trump should compromise on his bellicose campaign rhetoric by instituting policies popular with Democratic voters, the survey also showed they believe the U.S. is a country riddled with fault lines and social division.

More than 80% of respondents agreed the country is "sharply riven," including "86% of independents, 85% of Republicans and 84% of Democrats." The majority of respondents also agreed there were similar gaps along "gender, racial, age and educational divides," according to CNN.

Trump himself holds a 47% favorability rating, with 50% viewing him unfavorably. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, the poll found, fares worse at 40% favorable and 57% unfavorable.

Just 28% of Democrats and 26% of Republicans said they agree with the other party on at least some issues; among Independents, it is 43%.

Trump won in a landslide in the electoral college, but lost the popular vote by over 2 million ballots.

"Less than half, 40%, say that Trump's win means he has a mandate to pursue the agenda his supporters favor," CNN wrote, later adding, "53% say that, since he didn't win the popular vote, he should get behind an agenda that might attract new supporters."

Nearly 8 in 10 respondents believe the GOP-controlled federal government should incorporate some Democratic policies into its agenda, suggesting there may be little appetite among the public for the kind of far-reaching changes the president-elect's choice of arch-conservative cabinet officials like Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions for attorney general might suggest.