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[Joe]

2016 University of Virginia & Gallup present: The Vanishing Center of American Politics
http://www.iasc-culture.org/survey_archives/VanishingCenter.pdf

I made a thread on this two months ago but it is very interesting to go back, and look at some specific information now that the election is over.

Notes:

• This survey was released two months ago.
• Clinton voters = Likely Clinton Voters
• Trump voters = Likely trump voters

Glossary:

• Social Elite = Typically has a four-year degree, 58% likely to have family income >$100k, likely to acknowledge their financial well-being, likely to see their future as staying the same or getting better, typically Gen-X and younger, geographically diverse but more likely to reside in dense population areas, religiously diverse, skew moderate to liberal in political orientation.
  
  
• Disinherited = Some college at best but often only a high-school diploma or less, distinct educational and economical disadvantages, 50% likely to live on <$50k per year, likely to see their future as worse or much worse, typically baby boomer age or older, geographically diverse but more likely to reside in the Midwest, religiously diverse.
  
  
• Disadvantaged = Generally same profile as the disinherited but are religiously moderate, politically liberal, and secular.

• I Agree that &#8220;the government should do more to improve the lives of ordinary Americans&#8221;
  73% Clinton voters agree, 24% Trump voters agree
  
  
• Favor &#8220;banning entry to all Muslims until we better understand the threat to our country&#8221;
  18% Clinton voters agree, 70% Trump voters agree
  
  
• Favor &#8220;repealing the Affordable Care Act"
  27% Clinton voters agree, 85% Trump voters agree
  
  
• I believe that America is
  strongly improving <5%, in decline 26%, moderately declining 23%, strongly declining 26%
  
  
• Believe that the nation is &#8220;holding steady.&#8221;
  33% (remarkable continuity here over the past two decades.)
  
  
• &#8220;The American way of life,&#8221; whatever they understand that to mean,&#8220; is rapidly disappearing
  58% agree
  
  
• Over the last 25 years, my life has gotten
  worse 36%, improved 36%, holding steady 27%
  
  
• My current financial situation is
  good or excellent 42%, fair 36%, poor 14%
  
  
• I believe that &#8220;most politicians are more interested in winning elections than in doing what is right.&#8221;
  90% agree
  
  
• &#8220;Most elected officials don&#8217;t care what people like me think.&#8221;
  73% agree
  
  
• The &#8220;system of government is good, the people running it are incompetent.&#8221;
  70% agree
  
  
• &#8220;People like me don&#8217;t have any say about what the government does.&#8221;
  63% agree
  
  
• &#8220;The police and law enforcement unfairly target racial and ethnic minorities,&#8221;
  45% agree (African-Americans 83% agree, Hispanics 56% agree)
  
  
• &#8220;Wall Street and big business in our country often profit at the expense of ordinary Americans.&#8221;
  84% agree
  
  
• &#8220;Our economic system is rigged in favor of the wealthiest Americans.&#8221;
  73% agree
  
  
• &#8220;The leaders in American corporations, media, universities and technology care little about the lives of most Americans.&#8221;
  62% agree
  
  
• &#8220;The most educated and successful people in America are more interested in serving themselves than in serving the common good."
  62% agree
  
  
  [*]&#8220;Most Americans vote without really thinking through the issues.&#8221;
  86% agree
  
  
• &#8220;If you follow the rules and behave responsibly, you expect your life will turn out well.&#8221;
  71% agree
  
  
• &#8220;Hard work and determination are no guarantee of success for most Americans.&#8221;
  41% agree
  
  
• &#8220;These days, I feel like a stranger in my own country.&#8221;
  38% agree
  
  
• The American system of government - is good and needs very little change 9% agree, is fine, but the people running it need to be changed
  33% agree
  
  
• &#8220;The system of government itself is broken and needs to be replaced with something completely different.&#8221;
  12% agree
  
  
• We need &#8220;a President who will completely change the direction of this country"
  72% agree, 40% completely agree
  
  
• &#8220;If we had a President you really believed in and trusted, would you want the President authorized to enact his or her agenda even if Congress did not support it?&#8221;
  19% agree
  
  
• &#8220;Political correctness is a serious problem in our country, making it hard for people to say what they really think.&#8221;
  73% agree
  
  
• &#8220;You can&#8217;t believe much of what you hear from the mainstream media.&#8221;
  74% agree
  
  
• &#8220;The government should do more to improve the lives of ordinary Americans&#8221;
  68% social elites agree
  
  
• &#8220;The government is doing too many things that are better left to businesses, civic groups, and individuals.&#8221;
  70% disinherited agree
  
  
• &#8220;Immigrants strengthen our country because of their hard work and talents.&#8221;
  87% social elites agree, 49% disinherited agree, 67% disadvantaged agree
  
  
• &#8220;Immigrants are a burden on our country who take jobs, housing, and health care.&#8221;
  51% disinherited agree
  
  
• Favor of greatly reducing the number of immigrants entering the United States
  22% social elites agree, 76% disinherited agree, 51% disadvantaged agree
  
  
• Favor &#8220;banning entry to all Muslims until we better understand the terrorist threat to our country,&#8221;
  14% social elites agree, 63% disinherited agree, 36% disadvantaged agree
  
  
• Favor &#8220;banning entry to all Muslims until we better understand the threat to our country,&#8221;
  18% Clinton voters agree, 70% Trump voters agree
  
  
• The United States is declining
  77% Trump voters agree
  
  
• The United States is holding steady or improving
  75% Clinton voters agree
  
  
• The government in Washington threatens the freedom of ordinary Americans
  39% Clinton voters agree, 80% Trump voters agree
  
  
• Favor greatly reducing the number of immigrants entering the United States
  75% Trump voters agree
  
  
• Immigrants are a burden on our country because they take away jobs, housing and health care.
  52% Trump voters agree
  
  
• &#8220;Political correctness is a serious problem in our country, making it hard for people to say what they really think,&#8221;
  93% Trump voters agree

The greatest social distance is seen not along racial or ethnic lines, but along lines of class, with the wealthiest Americans and its cultural elite seen as furthest removed from the values and beliefs of the majority. The perception of difference from Muslim Americans is less than from the economic and cultural elite, but still quite strong. By comparison, the perceived cultural difference with African-Americans and Hispanics is relatively small.