Fewer Americans Identify as Economic Conservatives in 2013

[Chris]

Forty-one percent of Americans now characterize their economic views as "conservative," or "very conservative," the lowest since President Barack Obama took office in 2009 and on par with where views were in May 2008. This year's downtick in the percentage of Americans identifying as economically conservative has been accompanied by an uptick in the percentage identifying as economically moderate -- now 37% of Americans, up from 32% last year.

The percentage of Americans calling themselves economic liberals has remained virtually unchanged from last year at 19%, and has not fluctuated much since 2001....

http://www.gallup.com/poll/162746/fewer-americans-identify-economic-conservatives-2013.aspx

http://i.snag.gy/ep85Z.jpg

(Sorry, best I could do, images are gone from source and had to depend on tiny google cached images.)

[Cigar]

Could it possibly be due to Economics? :laugh:

[Chris]

Could it possibly be due to Economics? :laugh:

You did note the corresponding drop in economic liberals. I thought Obama changed things?

[Cigar]

You did note the corresponding drop in economic liberals. I thought Obama changed things?

It got Filibustered :wink:

[TheDictator]

I'm not a Economic Conservative eather, but I am conservative.

[Chris]

It got Filibustered :wink:

How did self-identification get filibustered?

[Cigar]

I'm not a Economic Conservative eather, but I am conservative.

It depends on what I'm buying ...

[Cigar]

How did self-identification get filibustered?


Amazing isn't it ... :laugh: they will Filibuster anything, even if they are for it.

[Peter1469]

I would imagine that most Americans have never taken an economics class or read a decent book on the topic.

[Chris]

I always wonder when a poll says people self-identify what that means.

[simpsonofpg]

I would imagine that most Americans have never taken an economics class or read a decent book on the topic.

That is the absolute truth. I am a conservative but not on everything. I am retired and working for a big box company and am finding that the gripe on coorporate America has a strong ring of truth. It is all about the money not the empoyees.

[simpsonofpg]

The first goal of every company big or small is profit. Without the profit the company can not exist and can not hire employees but I do think that you can reach a point where you can disregard the contribution the employee make so that he is no longer a consideration when make decisions on how the company operates. Since the top people in the big corporation normally don't work their way up they don't understand the contribution made at the bottom of the ladder.

[Dr. Who]

The first goal of every company big or small is profit. Without the profit the company can not exist and can not hire employees but I do think that you can reach a point where you can disregard the contribution the employee make so that he is no longer a consideration when make decisions on how the company operates. Since the top people in the big corporation normally don't work their way up they don't understand the contribution made at the bottom of the ladder.What really changed in America is the thousands of MBAs that graduated in the 80's and stripped corporate America of ethics.

[Chris]

The first goal of every company big or small is profit. Without the profit the company can not exist and can not hire employees but I do think that you can reach a point where you can disregard the contribution the employee make so that he is no longer a consideration when make decisions on how the company operates. Since the top people in the big corporation normally don't work their way up they don't understand the contribution made at the bottom of the ladder.

Yes, and then those employees go work for someone else and the remaining employees are not good for business so you lose customers.

[Chris]

I'm still not altogether sure what to make of the poll. If it were just a poll I'd dismiss it, but it's a series of poll that reveal shifting opinions.

One thing is clear, liberals claiming major victory by Obama and change in politico-economy toward social democracy because that's what the people want are dead wrong. It's not.

Sure you can question that and I agree that many who claim to be economically (fiscally) conservative are not.

Economic moderates are trending up but what does that mean, what is an economic moderate, someone who wants a balanced approach, perhaps raising taxes while cutting spending?

[Peter1469]

I'm still not altogether sure what to make of the poll. If it were just a poll I'd dismiss it, but it's a series of poll that reveal shifting opinions.

One thing is clear, liberals claiming major victory by Obama and change in politico-economy toward social democracy because that's what the people want are dead wrong. It's not.

Sure you can question that and I agree that many who claim to be economically (fiscally) conservative are not.

Economic moderates are trending up but what does that mean, what is an economic moderate, someone who wants a balanced approach, perhaps raising taxes while cutting spending?

You can't make a thing of the polls. Most Americans have zero knowledge of economics. It is like asking a dentist how to cure brain cancer.

[Chris]

You can't make a thing of the polls. Most Americans have zero knowledge of economics. It is like asking a dentist how to cure brain cancer.

Agree. But they do say something. And I'm just speculating.

I would think people could relate to the terms in their common sense. To be economically conservative means keep a tight budget, save against emergencies, invest conservatively, liberal meaning more loose, spendthrift, invest riskily.

[Peter1469]

Agree. But they do say something. And I'm just speculating.

I would think people could relate to the terms in their common sense. To be economically conservative means keep a tight budget, save, invest conservatively, liberal meaning more loose, spendthrift, invest riskily.

But do they do that? In their daily lives and to a greater extent, what they accept our government to do?

[Private Pickle]

I would imagine that most Americans have never taken an economics class or read a decent book on the topic.

I took macro and micro econ 101... pre-req for my degree... I remember like 4 things...

[Chris]

But do they do that? In their daily lives and to a greater extent, what they accept our government to do?

Some must. My dad has never worried about it, he's the breadwinner (now retired), my mother holds the purse strings and it very conservative economically, in that sense.

I don't think they'd self-identify in any particular way.

[Adelaide]

You can't make a thing of the polls. Most Americans have zero knowledge of economics. It is like asking a dentist how to cure brain cancer.

What would be super interesting is if someone conducted a large-scale survey of Americans to see what their knowledge level was on the subject of economics.