Pew Research doesn't mention either the 2000 Supreme Court decision to give the presidency to George Bush (bad enough!) or the extent to which voters have allowed themselves to be manipulated by the media (even worse). But if one looks for the immediate causes of the political anger America, the fact remains that our "values and basic beliefs are more polarized along partisan lines than at any point in the past 25 years ...greater than gender, age, race or class divides."
Nearly all of the increases have occurred during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. During this period, both parties’ bases have often been critical of their parties for not standing up for their traditional positions. Currently, 71% of Republicans and 58% of Democrats say their parties have not done a good job in this regard. ...Pew Research
Maybe we're talking about frustration more than anger. Maybe this is really about discontent with one's own party. "I'm stuck with poor choices. My party is better than the other guys' party, but even my party has stopped paying attention to people like me."
Racism isn't more rampant; nor are gender wars or wars of religion or class. It's the political war alone that splits us. Both parties have moved towards their extremes, says Pew Research. It's not just a Republican shift.
Republicans are most distinguished by their increasingly minimalist views about the role of government and lack of support for environmentalism. Democrats have become more socially liberal and secular. Republicans and Democrats are most similar in their level of political engagement. ...Pew Research
I think most of us on the left have become "more secular" because of the media domination by religious charlatans. We have simply lost respect for the churches because they have become loud, insistent, turning respect and belief into a plastic jesus from Dollar General. That's why, according to Pew, "On ... such as measures of religiosity and social conservatism, there were only modest differences initially, but these divides also have grown." The louder the voices and the more redolent of greed and power, the greater the loss of respect on the left.
The left doesn't like to think it has moved further to the left -- and I think Pew may be wrong about this -- but that's the way it looks in this study. If it's true, "God" has indeed lost a lot of support.
Roughly three-quarters of Democrats (77%) say they “never doubt the existence of God,” as do 76% of independents. The proportion of Democrats saying they never doubt God’s existence has fallen 11 points over the past decade. Among white Democrats, the decline has been 17 points – from 85% in 2002 to 68% currently. Independents also are less likely to express firm belief in God than in the past. By contrast, the percentage of Republicans saying they never doubt God’s existence is as large today (92%) as it was a decade ago, or a quarter century ago. ...Pew Research
Here's where I think Pew -- usually comprehensive and reliable -- may be skirting the issue. The research doesn't mention the growing tendency of the right to be radically authoritarian.
They do, however, cover the positions of "swing" ("independent") voters.
What about the attitudes towards "big business," towards "corporate America"?
Fully 72% of Americans agree that “the strength of this country today is based on the success of American business.” This opinion has endured, largely unchanged, for the past quarter century.
Moreover, it is a value on which there are only modest partisan differences: 77% of Republicans believe the country’s strength is tied to the success of business, as do 71% of both independents and Democrats.
Yet the public also continues to criticize business for being too big, too profitable and failing to serve the public interest. Three-quarters of Americans (75%) agree “there is too much power concentrated in the hands of a few big companies.” About six-in-ten (61%) say that “business corporations make too much profit.” Nearly as many (58%) disagree with the idea that business corporations “generally strike a fair balance between making profits and serving the public interest.” ...Pew Research
Wall Street's also suffering from loss of respect -- but less than one might expect -- down 4 points in two years. Labor unions, on the other hand, have earned about the same or more respect from both independents and Democrats. The Wisconsin fight indicates how virulent the right has become in its dislike of unions.
Overall, 64% agree that labor unions are necessary to protect the working person; 33% disagree. Positive views of labor unions have stabilized, after declining by 13 points from 2003 to 2009.
Republicans have grown increasingly skeptical of the need for labor unions. In 2003, 62% of Republicans said labor unions were necessary to protect workers – that figure fell to 53% in 2007 and 44% in 2009. Currently, 43% of Republicans agree that labor unions are necessary, while 54% disagree. ...Pew Research
The report also covers attitudes about government intrusions on the privacy of individuals (worried), belief in god (down), adherence to "traditional" values, use of the military, freedom of speech, immigration "and race," and party affiliation.
... The percentage of self-described Democrats has fallen from 36% four years ago to 32% today. Republican identification has remained largely stable over this period (24% today, 25% in 2008). In 1991, however, there were nearly equal percentages of Republicans (31%), Democrats (31%) and independents (33%).
The Democrats continue to hold an advantage in leaned party identification: In 2012 surveys, 48% either affiliate with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic while 40% either identify as Republicans or lean toward the GOP. That is little changed from recent years, but in 2008 the Democrats held a 15-point lead in leaned party affiliation (51% to 36%)....
... As the Republican Party has gotten smaller, it has become more conservative. Currently, 17% of the public identifies as conservative Republicans, while about half as many (8%) are moderates or liberals. That balance has changed little recently, but in the early 2000s there were more GOP moderates; in 2001 and 2002, 12% of the public identified as moderate or liberal Republicans. The balance of self-reported ideology among Democrats has remained stable in recent years, but also has shifted over the past decade. Currently, 12% of the public calls themselves liberal Democrats, 13% are moderate Democrats and 6% are conservatives. A decade ago, moderate Democrats outnumbered liberals by nearly two-to one (15% vs. 8%). ...Pew Research
Of the two main parties, more dissatisfaction is found among Republicans about their party than among Democrats.
Independents are, well, independent. And where they are is interesting:
