The conventional wisdom in the media that Americans are overwhelmingly conservative is fundamentally false, according to "The Progressive Majority: Why a Conservative America is a Myth," a study of poll data by Media Matters for America and Campaign for America's Future, writes MarketingCharts.
The two organizations conducted the study by examining independent, nonpartisan polling data over the past 20 years from sources such as the American National Election Studies (NES), the General Social Survey (GSS), and Gallup polls.
Among the key findings of the study:
- 69 percent of Americans say the government "should care for those who can't care for themselves."
- Twice as many people (43 percent vs. 20 percent) say they want "government to provide many more services even if it means an increase in spending" as want government to provide fewer services "in order to reduce spending."
- The economy:
- 77 percent of Americans say Congress should increase the minimum wage.
- 66 percent say "upper-income people" pay too little in taxes.
- 53 percent say the Bush administration's tax cuts have failed because they have increased the deficit and caused cuts in government programs.
- Social issues:
- 61 percent of Americans support embryonic stem cell research.
- 62 percent want to protect Roe v. Wade.
- Only 3 percent of Americans rank same-sex marriage as the "most important" social issue.
- Security:
- 43 percent of Americans say we are spending too much on our military.
- 60 percent say the federal government should do more about restricting the kinds of guns that people can purchase.
MarketingCharts provides more findings from the study regarding the environment, energy, immigration and healthcare.
