Gallup: Conservative Edge is Shrinking

[Frodo]

The liberal stigma is fading, it appears:

Poll: Conservative edge shrinking

By JONATHAN TOPAZ | 5/28/14 6:36 AM EDT

The conservative advantage on social and economic issues is shrinking, a new poll says.

According to a Gallup poll on Wednesday, more Americans still identify as conservative than as liberal in those two areas, but the gaps between conservatives and liberals are the smallest they have been since the polling firm began tracking the question 14 years ago.



Thirty-four percent of those surveyed say they are conservative on social issues, compared with 30 percent who say they are liberal, but the 4-percentage-point gap is continuing to shrink, decreasing by 1 point since 2013 and 6 points since 2012.

The conservative edge on economic issues has declined from 31 points in 2010 to 21 points in the most recent survey.

The closing gaps in both areas largely come from registered Democrats increasingly identifying themselves as liberal on social and economic issues.
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/poll-conservative-advantage-social-economic-shrink-democrats-gallup-107149.html#ixzz333dieRlR

[Bandit3 the Worker]

The real surprise is that people seem to be more conservative on economic than social. Why? The economic left really ought to have a built-in edge just because there's a hell of a lot more poor people than rich people. "We are the 99%" is more than just a slogan. It's an objective observation.

[courts]

The real surprise is that people seem to be more conservative on economic than social. Why? The economic left really ought to have a built-in edge just because there's a hell of a lot more poor people than rich people. "We are the 99%" is more than just a slogan. It's an objective observation.

they're fiscal conservatives and rugged individualists when it comes to programs other people use. but not if it means their benefits or subsidy gets cut. proudtobeamerican.jpeg

[King]

The real surprise is that people seem to be more conservative on economic than social. Why? The economic left really ought to have a built-in edge just because there's a hell of a lot more poor people than rich people. "We are the 99%" is more than just a slogan. It's an objective observation.

Economic liberalism and social conservatism are bad words.

[Lief 🗽]

These kinds of polls are dumb. Most Americans are economic conservatives... and yet they support taxing the rich and raising the minimum wage and oppose cutting social security or medicare.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I wonder when they'll start adding "socialist" to these polls (after all, socialism in America hasn't been this strong since the 1930's), or at least more options than the silly dichotomy they use now.

[eric82oslo]

These kinds of polls are dumb. Most Americans are economic conservatives... and yet they support taxing the rich and raising the minimum wage and oppose cutting social security or medicare.

True. Just like myself btw. I also consider myself, in many ways, as extremely economic(ally) conservative. Just like I don't like to vaste my own saved money, I don't like to see the collective money of the entire society go to vast either. Yet you can hardly find a more socially liberal person than me out there.

[IceSpear]

I wonder when they'll start adding "socialist" to these polls (after all, socialism in America hasn't been this strong since the 1930's), or at least more options than the silly dichotomy they use now.

By what measure?

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I wonder when they'll start adding "socialist" to these polls (after all, socialism in America hasn't been this strong since the 1930's), or at least more options than the silly dichotomy they use now.

By what measure?

The general deterioration of capitalism combined with the end of the decline in the percentage of workers being unionized, and several independent socialist and labor candidates elected not only without the help of, but running directly against the Democratic Party, to local positions in Seattle, Lorain, and soon enough Portland and Chicago.

[IceSpear]

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This isn't a thing.

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"End of the decline" means that it is the end of a valley, not the top of a peak. And I'd think you of all people would know that high unionization is not incompatible with capitalism.

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Aside from Sawant, who are the other currently serving socialist politicians?

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

I wonder when they'll start adding "socialist" to these polls (after all, socialism in America hasn't been this strong since the 1930's), or at least more options than the silly dichotomy they use now.

By what measure?

In terms of how the word socialism is viewed in comparison with the word capitalism.

Snowstalker, there were plenty of municipal socialists in the US of the mid-20th century...

[Antonio the Sixth]

These kinds of polls are dumb. Most Americans are economic conservatives... and yet they support taxing the rich and raising the minimum wage and oppose cutting social security or medicare.

Yeah, Americans aren't actually conservative. They just prefer the word "conservative" to the word "liberal", mostly due to how these words have been connoted historically.

[SWE]

I wonder when they'll start adding "socialist" to these polls (after all, socialism in America hasn't been this strong since the 1930's), or at least more options than the silly dichotomy they use now.

By what measure?

We have two elected socialists (Sawant and Sanders)

[All Along The Watchtower]

Oh the words people use...

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

These kinds of polls are dumb. Most Americans are economic conservatives... and yet they support taxing the rich and raising the minimum wage and oppose cutting social security or medicare.

Words can't describe how right-wing most elected Republicans are on economic issues.

[justfollowingtheelections]

Polls such as this one are just stupid.  What the hell does conservative on economic issues even mean?

[Simfan34]

The idea there are more socialists now than they were in 1968 strikes me as silly.

[pbrower2a]

The word "conservative" has come to mean something very different from respectful of tradition, precedent, and risk.... and from having the responsibility to find something worthy of preservation against radical change. 

[courts]

The idea there are more socialists now than they were in 1968 strikes me as silly.

Your definition must be strange

the idea that socialist = just supporting public healthcare, some welfare programs and higher taxes 'on the rich' is pretty strange

[TNF]

Polls such as this one are just stupid.  What the hell does conservative on economic issues even mean?

Support for the leeches bleeding us all dry. Being "liberal" on economic issues of course means the same thing, but with a smile and preferably highlighting a diverse section of said leeches while loudly condemning whitebread conservative leeches.

[Meursault]

The only accurate definition is "the ownership of the means of production by those who work them".