A recent Pew Research report reinforces other polling on American political ideology, but it also reveals some interesting twists in public opinion. First, as the 2008 exit polls demonstrated, Republicans’ problems this year had more to do with fewer voters self-identifying with the GOP than a decline in the number of conservatives in the electorate.
Despite this overall ideological stability, Pew found some subgroups have shifted. More younger white Democrats and college graduates describe themselves as “liberal.”
Another notable finding shows the difference between Democrats and Republicans in the “diversity” of their ideological views. Democrats describe themselves as 25 percent conservative, 37 percent moderate and 34 percent liberal. Republicans, on the other hand, are 68 percent conservative, 25 percent moderate and 4 percent liberal. Conservatives’ views on several policy issues are among the most surprising findings in the survey. For example, 51 percent say they favor repealing the Bush tax cuts either for the wealthy or for everyone. Conservatives are about equally split when it comes to the U.S. government guaranteeing health insurance for all citizens. Half of those who describe their political views as conservative favor government-backed insurance even if it means raising taxes, while 47 percent oppose it. Read the full report here.
