Democrat extremism appears to be driving a sea change in political and cultural values, according to a new survey.
Originally published by WND News Service. Used with permission.
Joe Biden and his leftist cohorts in power now have pushed Americans for years to be much more liberal, some would even say Marxist or communist, on a number of agenda points, from his ideologies of transgenderism to abortion to open borders.
Looks like he’s failed.
New polling from Gallup, in its latest Values and Beliefs Survey, reveals, shockingly, that Americans have turned back to conservatism with a vengeance on social policies and the economy.
“For most of the past eight years, Americans were about as likely to say they were liberal as conservative on social issues. This year, there is a more obvious conservative advantage,” Gallup explained.
“The shift is mostly due to increasing social conservatism among Republicans at a time when social issues such as transgender rights, abortion and other hot-button concerns are prominent in the national public debate.
“When asked to describe their political views overall, without reference to social or economic issues, 40% say they have conservative views, 31% moderate and 26% liberal,” said the pollster.
The polling said 38% of respondents are conservative on social issues, up from 33% last year, and 44% are economically conservative, both the highest numbers since back in 2012.
Those identifying as liberal plunged from 34% to 29% over the last year.
The pollster said, “The survey comes at a time when many states are considering policies regarding transgender matters, abortion, crime, drug use, and the teaching of gender and sexuality in schools.”
The polling explained, “The increase in conservative identification on social issues over the past two years is seen among nearly all political and demographic subgroups. Republicans show one of the largest increases, from 60% in 2021 to 74% today. Independents show a modest uptick of five percentage points, from 24% to 29%, while there has been no change among Democrats (10% in both 2021 and 2023).”
Gallup said, “Since 2021, there have been double-digit increases in conservative social ideology among middle-aged adults — those between the ages of 30 and 64. At the same time, older Americans’ ideology on social issues has been stable, while there has been a modest increase in conservative social ideology among young adults.
“When Americans are asked to describe their views on economic issues, 44% identify as very conservative or conservative, 33% moderate and 21% very liberal or liberal. The percentage saying they are conservative averaged 40% between 2020 and 2022. The current figure is the highest since 46% in 2012.”
The report added, “Americans have been more likely to identify as economically conservative rather than liberal because Republicans overwhelmingly say they are conservative, but Democrats are not overwhelmingly liberal. In 2023, 79% of Republicans identify as conservative on economic issues, while 48% of Democrats say they are liberal. Additionally, more independents identify as economic conservatives (36%) than liberals (16%). About half of independents say they are moderate on economic matters.”
And on social issues, “This year, there is a more obvious conservative advantage. The shift is mostly due to increasing social conservatism among Republicans, at a time when social issues such as transgender rights, abortion and other hot-button concerns are prominent in the national public debate.
“Greater social conservatism may be fostering an environment more favorable to passing conservative-leaning social legislation, especially in Republican-dominated states. Indeed, in the past year, many Republican states have passed stricter constraints on abortions, limited choices for transgender youth in sports participation and healthcare, and placed prohibitions on what topics can be discussed in classroom settings.”
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.