Controlling for race, are suburbs different from what they once were?

[freepcrusher]

Like dupage county used to be very Republican and now it's at the point where local races are starting to be won by Dems. Even if you control for race, Biden still won the white vote and even if he didn't, it's a lot closer than when rs could win it easily by 30-40 points.

So are the types of white people in dupage county different from those of the 80s and 90s or is it more of a Dixiecrat to Republican like switch?

[freepcrusher]

One. Increased diversity. These collar counties now have significant African-American and Hispanic populations voting heavily democratic, as opposed to being nearly White in the '80s and even part of the 90s.

did you not read the first three words of the title?

Two.  Increased antipathy of college educated voters, especially those with postgraduate degrees, to a Republican Party platform that stands for square in favor of global warming being a hoax, a base that opposes teaching evolution, believes that homosexuality and transgenderism are mental illnesses, etc etc.

skeptical. It sounds like too much of a self serving story. The republican party was arguably worse in the 80s with like the schlafly and helms types.

[freepcrusher]

Controlling for race

Why would you even try to do that if you wanted to understand this country?

because it varies from place to place. Obviously it matters a lot in places like Gwinnett county, GA. In a place like Dupage county - it doesn't explain as much. Dupage is only 65% white but when you consider that the minorities are mostly hispanic and asian, a lot of them can't vote, and when they do are not nearly as dem as blacks - race isn't the main factor there.

[freepcrusher]

I would note, too, that 1) college educated suburbs are much more college educated than they were 30-40 years ago, matching the overall trend towards higher educational attainment nationally.  The number of post-baccalaureate degree holders is also growing faster than the number of baccalaureate degree holders.  30 years ago, it would not be difficult to find a state school grad and his non-degreed wife living in Evanston or Winnetka...that's probably not very true anymore.  2) White college grads have gotten substantially more secular over the past 30-40 years.   

well this begs the question - have white college grads themselves changed? Because if they voted as they once did - DuPage would probably vote republican. Is it possible that white college grads have gone from looking like this:
https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b2732fdfd160d2803cbad91842c3


to this?
https://i.cdn.tbs.com/assets/images/big-bang-theory-628x353.jpg