NEW YORK (Reuters) - Public opinion always fractures along party lines when it comes to President Donald Trump, and the congressional impeachment inquiry into whether he abused his office for personal political gain in his handling of Ukraine has done little to change that.

While most Democrats want to see him impeached, most Republicans do not. And the televised hearings last month that were meant to build public support for impeachment appear to have pushed the two sides further apart. With Democrats and Republicans increasingly dug in, the balance may shift according to the feelings of those few Americans who do not favour either party and are nearly evenly split on impeachment: political independents.