Some scholars such as Crotty (2014, p.1) suggests that, “polarization is a term meant to describe the condition of hyper-partisanship/ideological extremism, policy representational imbalance, and institutional paralysis that combine to make contemporary governing so problematic.” While others such as Lupu (2015) contends that polarization have desirable outcomes such as increased voter turnout, more consistent ideological voting, and clear electoral options and choices for the citizens. This study examines why there is such a variation in sentiments regarding political polarization and offer some insights regarding this difference in sentiments by comparing two democracies with high levels of party system polarization – Taiwan and New Zealand. Viewing polarization from the placement of parties along ideological continuum, the fractionalization of the party system, legislative party cohesion, and voters’ position vis-à-vis the political parties, we are able to form some tentative inferences to explain why there is less concern in New Zealand for polarization vis-à-vis Taiwan.