Just when it seems the entire nation has gone off the rails with identity politics, Gallup has revealed a notable shift in the social ideology of Americans, with more identifying as very conservative or conservative on social issues.
The survey, known as the Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted from May 1 to May 24, and shows a big change in Americans’ views compared to the past decade.
According to the survey results, 38% of Americans now consider themselves very conservative or conservative on social issues, up from 33% in 2022 and 30% in 2021.
Simultaneously, the percentage of individuals identifying as very liberal or liberal has declined to 29%, down from 34% in both 2022 and 2021.
Between the drop in liberalism and the affinity for conservative values, it’s a 10 point swing.
The portion of Americans describing themselves as moderate remains relatively stable at 31%, accounting for roughly one-third of the population.
This year’s figure of 38% identifying as socially conservative is the highest number since 2012.
The surge in conservative identification coincides with ongoing debates and discussions surrounding several key issues in the country, including transgender policies, abortion, crime, drug use, and the teaching of gender and sexuality in schools.
The trend of increasing conservative identification on social issues is evident across various political and demographic groups.
Republicans have witnessed one of the most significant jumps, with 74% identifying as very conservative or conservative in 2023, compared to 60% in 2021.
Independents also saw a modest increase of five percentage points, rising from 24% to 29%. In contrast, there was no change among Democrats, with 10% identifying as conservative in both 2021 and 2023.
The shift towards conservative social ideology over the past two years is particularly pronounced among middle-aged adults, ranging from 30 to 64 years old. This demographic experienced double-digit increases in conservative social views. Conversely, older Americans have maintained stable social ideologies, while young adults have shown a modest increase in conservative social views.
When it comes to economic issues, the survey reveals 44% of Americans identify as very conservative or conservative, while 33% consider themselves moderate and 21% describe their views as very liberal or liberal. The conservative identification on economic matters averaged at 40% between 2020 and 2022, making the current figure the highest since 2012 when it reached 46%.
The findings highlight a consistent pattern in which Americans tend to identify as conservative on economic issues rather than liberal, with a gap of no fewer than 16 percentage points between the two ideologies.
Good.
Maybe the adults can take charge for a while.
These kind of simplistic polls utterly frustrate me, as they force what are actually multi-dimensional beliefs into a straighjacketed and unrealistic one-dimensional ‘spectrum’ of responses that is not really indicative of reality.
If I were questioned in such a poll, and I have been, I would have to refuse to respond to it, as the false dichotomy of the binary choices demanded could never be reflective of my actual beliefs and opinions.
Then Americans should act like it and vote like it.
The people haven’t changed, it has been society, that has swung so far left, that the “center line” people has swung to the right or far right. What society NOW deems as normal or acceptable has made the “center line” swing further to the right. People have kept their mid-conservative or “further right” conservative ideals the same.. What was normal right Republican(Reagan-ism) has become a more further right(Trump-ism)..Even the conservative Democratic (JFK) has become liberal Republicanism. The Social norms has changed.
Americans should get out and vote!!! Put up or SHUT UP!!! I know, I have close friends that complain about what’s going on right now with the liberals. I know for a fact that they don’t vote.
I don’t care what they say they are, we need them to vote accordingly. Well, I guess we need them to just vote.
Most Americans are lazy and selfish.
You are correct. The lazy voter is a big part of stupidity.
John, Lazy, Selfish? Perhaps stupid? Credit the educational system run by commie democrats for a generation or more, wherein civics and the Constitution are not taught, but instead are replaced with commie bull sheet. Your creator Ayn Rand might agree.
What do people think would happen? After years of radical and down right stupid attempts to move mainstream America to the political left, compounded with social and, occasionally, physical attacks just for being conservative, of course the human reaction is going to be a shift to the right and away from the perceived threat from the left.
But, since when has support for things like personal freedom, strong national borders, and a growing economy become a right/left issue? Makes me wonder!
Anyone who has followed what has happened with Venezuela (Bernie Sanders progressive utopia) has to be skeptical about the liberal-socialism direction. Ever notice how the media has forgotten about the country?
That’s what happens when you give them a little taste of what the socialists have in mind for the future.
Polls don’t matter. Winning elections is what matters. The Dems know how to play dirty and win. The Republicans don’t know how fight dirty and win. Conservatives are good at losing consistently.
Changing the message from Pro Life to Pro Family will not change the fact that 38% is still a minority. A strong third party candidate is the only way a Pro Life candidate can win a National Election
It’s like marrying someone with bad habits…. drug addiction, squandering money, making bad decisions … and hoping that they will change. They promise that they will change but they fall back into the same rut. The voters continue to make bad leftist based decisions and then try to reform… things get better…. and then they fall off the wagon addicted to goodies paid by someone else, wasteful spending on programs that promise much and deliver less and less. Gong in on fads and the crowd that puts them in the hole again. So, yes there is a shift but unless they have the shock of their lives or finally hit bottom, they will find that no amount of rehab will save them from a permanently corrupted system…they voted for.
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