Updated June 8, 2023, 4:11pm EDT
top line
With hot-button social issues like abortion and transgender rights dominating politics, more Americans identify as socially conservative than they did in 2019, according to a Gallup poll released Thursday. It’s the highest since 2007, and marks a change from a time when Americans were nearly as likely to identify as socially conservative. They say they are socially conservative and liberal at the same time.
important facts
Gallup’s annual values and beliefs poll conducted in May found that 38% of Americans identify as “conservative” or “very conservative” on social issues, while 38% identify as “liberal” or “very conservative” on social issues. compared to 29% of respondents who identified themselves as “liberal”.
Last year, 34% identified as liberal and 33% as conservative, a barely perceptible difference that was more similar to past Gallup polls. For most of the past eight years, Gallup has said that Americans are about equally likely to say: They were both socially conservative and socially liberal.
The poll also found that the percentage of people who identify as socially conservative rose the most among middle-aged Americans, with an average increase of 12% for people between the ages of 30 and 64. did.
But Americans 65 and older are the only age group that remains stable, with the number of people who identify as socially conservative actually declining by 1%.
amazing facts
The biggest increase came from within the Republican Party itself, as it became more socially conservative. In 2021, 60% identified as socially conservative; now, 74% identify as socially conservative. The number of independents increased by only 5%, and there was no change in Democratic support.
tangent
Americans are also more likely to identify as fiscally conservative, which is nothing new. This year, 44% of respondents said they are fiscally conservative, up slightly from the 2020 and 2022 average of 40% and the highest percentage since 2012.
Main background
This year has seen a rise in social conservatism in Republican-led states, with many states passing or introducing legislation restricting abortion rights and the rights of transgender people. It has become critical in today’s political and cultural wars. Missouri this week joined more than a dozen states in banning or restricting gender-affirming care, primarily for transgender youth. But the meaning of conservatism, and what it means to be a Republican, has taken hold recently, as the Republican Party seeks to identify presidential candidates from a field led by former President Donald Trump. Some say that the party was ruined by stealing it. Too right. The last time Gallup reported a larger difference than this year was in 2012. This was the year Obama was reelected, publicly supported same-sex marriage, and the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare. At this time, 38% of respondents identified themselves as socially conservative, and 28% identified as socially liberal.
References
US social conservatism is at its highest in nearly a decade (Gallup)
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