After the 2024 presidential election, some commentators argued that Americans no longer believe Democrats share the same political priorities. explore We acted immediately after the election. These critics are onto something. Americans overwhelmingly – but this turns out to be mistaken – believe that Democrats prioritize progressive social issues over widely shared economic issues.
More in Common, the non-profit, non-partisan research organization we work for. A sample of 5,005 Americans was asked to choose the three issues most important to them. We then asked them to specify “What issues do you think are most important to Democrats?” and the same to Republicans. We use broad category labels. Instead, ask specifically about, say, “Democrat voters” or “Republican candidates” to capture general perceptions of each party. We then compare these perceptions with reality.
Let’s start with reality. We found that Americans clearly share a key concern for 2024: cost of living/inflation. This is the No. 1 most chosen priority within every major demographic group. Including men and women, blacks, whites, Latinos and Asian Americans, age groups Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X, Baby Boomer and Silent Generation; America’s working class, middle class, and upper class Suburban, urban, and rural Americans and Democrats, Republicans, and independents, Democratic respondents’ top priorities after inflation (40 percent) were health care and abortion. (29 percent each) and the general economy (24 percent) for Republicans. Immigration came in second (47 percent), followed by the overall economy (41 percent).
When it comes to the priorities of Republicans and Democrats, recognizeHowever, we found a clear difference: Americans across the political spectrum evaluate what Republicans care about much better than what Democrats care about more.
When asked about Republicans’ priorities, all major groups, including Democrats and independents, were polled. Correctly stated that inflation or the economy is one of the Republicans’ top three priorities.
On the contrary Every demographic group thinks Democrats’ top priority is abortion. They overestimate the importance of this issue by an average of 20 percentage points (including Democrats). (Suggesting that they are somewhat out of touch, even though their fellow party members are attentive.) At the same time, respondents underestimated The extent to which Democrats prioritize inflation and the economy It ranked those items fourth and ninth on the priority list, respectively.
The most prominent way that Democrats are misunderstood has to do with what our survey calls “LGBT/transgender policy,” although this is not a top priority for Democratic Party voters. Democrats in reality Instead, it came in at number 14. Our survey respondents listed it as Democrats’ second-highest priority. The impact was more dramatic among Republicans, with 56 percent listing the issue among Democrats’ top three priorities. This compares to just 8 percent who said inflation was the case. But almost every major demographic group makes the same mistake.
What explains why Democrats’ priorities are so misguided while Republicans’ are not? Our research suggests that one reason is the Democratic Party’s relationship with the left.
In 2018, More in Common implemented study Called “Hidden Tribes,” we identify groups of like-minded Americans who share the same moral values and views on things like parenting styles. The study grouped them into seven different “tribes.” Each tribe has a different worldview and way of participating in politics. It also shows that much of the national political conversation is driven by a small group. with high voting rights on each side of the political divide On the left is the group we call “progressive activist”; on the right hand side The group we call “Devoted Conservatives”
This is because the voices of these groups are heard more frequently in the national discourse. Their views are therefore likely to be confused with those of the party as a whole. (Think of the many social media posts Editors’ Cooperativeand news Protection The idea of defunding or abolishing the police in the summer of 2020 (a view that was never widely accepted by even those most affected by police violence) led people to think that each side had more extreme views. That actually does. For example, Democrats think Republicans do. more likely More than likely they will deny that. “Racism is still a problem in America,” and Republicans think Democrats are more likely than they believe. “Most police are bad people.”
However, our data suggests that the priorities of committed conservatives are more aligned with the priorities of the average Republican than those of progressive activists with the priorities of the Democratic Party. On average, for example, progressive activists are half as likely as average Democrats to prioritize the economy. And they are likely to double down on prioritizing climate change. On the contrary The biggest difference between the average Republican and a dedicated conservative lies on the issue of immigration. But the difference is much smaller: Devoted conservatives are in first place and Republicans are in second. This imbalance creates confusion between the mainstream of the political party and the more radical side, which is more expensive for Democratic politicians.
However, the outsized influence of progressive activists does not fully explain the discrepancy between perception and reality. When it comes to Democrats’ views on gender policy, Our survey found that even progressive activists list this issue as the sixth most important priority. So the belief that gender policy is Democrats’ second-highest priority must have another cause.
One possibility is that pro-democracy groups are prominently pushing ideas that even their most progressive voters are lukewarm to. Another is Donald’s campaign. Trump ties to Kamala’s campaign Harris has successfully matched controversial transgender policy stances. in a widely seen attack ad A clip of a 2019 interview with Harris explaining her support for publicly funded sex change surgery for prisoners. Including undocumented immigrants. It was punctuated by a voiceover saying, “Kamala is for they/them– President Trump is for you– In a test conducted by Harris’ main super PAC, 2.7 percent of voters turned to Trump after seeing the ad. which is considered a great result It continues to reinforce the connection between Harris and this policy. Coupled with Harris’ inability or unwillingness to publicly distance herself from this policy, It is likely to strengthen Americans’ relationship on transgender issues with Democrats.
If elections are a battle of perceptions Our data suggests that this is a battle that Democrats are losing in 2024, even though Harris’ campaign takes almost Another half billion dollars More than the Trump campaign Trump appears to have been more effective in imposing Democrats’ priorities on the American public. Because it was stuck between the far left wing and the opposing attack. This leaves Democrats unable to convince American voters that they share voters’ concerns. If the party wants to be given an opportunity in future elections This perception problem must be resolved.
