The shift in the American public’s political values

[Chris]

Came across this trend polling from Pew: The shift in the American public’s political values, and thought it interesting.

I didn't read how they defined anything. I agree, polls, so what, but the trend is interesting.

Here's my analysis.

1 Little correlation between ideology and party, some, Democrats tend to be more liberal, Republicans more conservative, but each party runs the gamut from left tail to right tail.

2 Over time you should see the Democrats shift left, consistently so. Initially, Republicans follow Democrats left. I think that pattern existed way further back, politics inching ever left.

3 2011, 2014 especially, you see Republicans taking a different pattern, instead of following Democrats left, Republicans take a stand and then shift right.

4 A new pattern emerges, Democrats shift further left and Republicans shift further right 2104, 12015, 2017. It's this pattern we see now as the two parties shift further and further apart.



There's an interactive version at the link that might help visualize the data but I found a static version easier to analyze.

Note Clinton was President 1993-2001, Bush 2001-2009, Obama 2009-2017.

One might say Obama was more divisive than his predecessors.



(I couldn't find later Pew surveys. If you can, please post.)

[carolina73]

Again it depends on your definition of what left and right is.

I don't see a big change from the Reagan years for the right. I see the change recently being nothing but the rejection of the neocon takeover that came after Reagan. Trump is Reagan. Trump's policies were Reagan's. Reagan only traded Amnesty as a one time deal for the border security.But Trump was also willing to do that with DACA.

I see a portion of the left that is no longer embarrassed to tell you that they are Socialists and further to the left. We may be getting further apart but the far left is a island drifting away.

[RMNIXON]

I suspect as the last graph illustrates is that what we define as Median Democrat has actually been shifting steadily farther left, and more recently Trump conservatives less likely to follow along.

Consider that in 1994 we had the House Republican Revolution that led to a rejection of Hillarycare, substantial Welfare Reform, and late 90's prosperity through the high tech free market and a lot of Capitalism.

[MMC]

Again it depends on your definition of what left and right is.

I don't see a big change from the Reagan years for the right. I see the change recently being nothing but the rejection of the neocon takeover that came after Reagan. Trump is Reagan. Trump's policies were Reagan's. Reagan only traded Amnesty as a one time deal for the border wall.But Trump was also willing to do that with DACA.

I see a portion of the left that is no longer embarrassed to tell you that they are Socialists and further to the left. We may be getting further apart but the far left is a island drifting away.

The left has always been about going further left.....until Utopia.

[Chris]

2009 was the advent of the Tea Party movement. By 2011 the Republicans had shifted right.

[Dr. Who]

Came across this trend polling from Pew: The shift in the American public’s political values, and thought it interesting.

I didn't read how they defined anything. I agree, polls, so what, but the trend is interesting.

Here's my analysis.

1 Little correlation between ideology and party, some, Democrats tend to be more liberal, Republicans more conservative, but each party runs the gamut from left tail to right tail.

2 Over time you should see the Democrats shift left, consistently so. Initially, Republicans follow Democrats left. I think that pattern existed way further back, politics inching ever left.

3 2011, 2014 especially, you see Republicans taking a different pattern, instead of following Democrats left, Republicans take a stand and then shift right.

4 A new pattern emerges, Democrats shift further left and Republicans shift further right 2104, 12015, 2017. It's this pattern we see now as the two parties shift further and further apart.



There's an interactive version at the link that might help visualize the data but I found a static version easier to analyze.

Note Clinton was President 1993-2001, Bush 2001-2009, Obama 2009-2017.

One might say Obama was more divisive than his predecessors.



(I couldn't find later Pew surveys. If you can, please post.)

I can't help but notice the rather profound change that took place between 2015 and 2017 that just happens to coincide with the election campaign and halfway through Trump's first year in office. (The survey dates go to July 9, 2017).

[Chris]

I can't help but notice the rather profound change that took place between 2015 and 2017 that just happens to coincide with the election campaign and halfway through Trump's first year in office. (The survey dates go to July 9, 2017).

The left shifted noticeably left while the right remained in place, or, one might say, took a stand.

[carolina73]

2009 was the advent of the Tea Party movement. By 2011 the Republicans had shifted right.

Just for accuracy, the Tea Patry was born in 2007.
Medicare Part D was the tipping point on the spending front, after years of deficit war spending. The Patriot Act was also a major impetus.
That's why Republicans failed to show up for McCain. He was basically promising the same as Obama and Bush.

[Dr. Who]

The left shifted noticeably left while the right remained in place, or, one might say, took a stand.

That significant shift to the left represents the alienation of a significant portion of the population and what is known as affective polarization. Affective polarization is the worst kind of polarization because it represents more than just party preference, it represents a social rift in the population and the development of hostile sentiments toward supporters of 'the other side', in a two party system. It's a very bad sign.

[Chris]

Just for accuracy, the Tea Patry was born in 2007.
Medicare Part D was the tipping point on the spending front, after years of deficit war spending. The Patriot Act was also a major impetus.
That's why Republicans failed to show up for McCain. He was basically promising the same as Obama and Bush.

RIght, Ron Paul says 2007, but I see Rick Santelli on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange in 2009 as the popular start.