New Gallup Poll Indicates that Americans are becoming more Conservative
In a Gallup Poll released yesterday, Americans are starting to become more conservative ideologically. 38% of those surveyed identified themselves as conservative, while 58% have said that their views have become more conservative in recent years. Out of the liberals surveyed, 42% have grown increasingly liberal, while 18% consider themselves to be liberal. Those who consider themselves to be moderate are now trending more conservative than liberal.
Now, there are several ways that you could look at these results. One is to look at the issues. The Gallup Poll asked those surveyed about domestic issues, and the results from these questions back up the shift in those who identify themselves as conservatives. When it comes to gun control, Americans are becoming more conservative, as the opposition to buying handguns was up to 69% and the opposition to stricter gun control laws grew to 49%. The other hot topic issue is that Americans are more likely to favor economic reform over saving the environment.
Overall, the results of the poll are surprising, but the fact that more people are trending ideologically towards the conservative side of life is definitely beginning to show promise for 2012 and beyond.
Posted on July 7, 2009, in National Politics and tagged Conservatism, Polls. Bookmark the permalink. 2 Comments.
Smash Mouth Politics posted the results of a similar Gallup Poll a little while back (here). In response, I have been posting my ideas explaining why people get Conservative as they grow older. Here is the latest, Part 2 — Why does experience make one more Conservative?. Part 3 will be out tomorrow. Hope you find it interesting.
Interesting piece and I agree with C3 in urging us to look at these poll results with respect to issues. Otherwise, there are just too many ambiguities in applying the terms, “liberal” and conservative.