Pew study: Political divide now outweighs, racial, class values gap

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How the numbers affect the political divide

When it comes to the 2012 election, the Pew survey finds that swing voters are closer to Obama voters on the question of whether labor unions have too much power, and they and Obama voters share a smaller tendency than Romney voters to say they “admire rich people” (just 22 percent of Obama voters and swing voters have admiration for the rich, versus 38 percent of Romney voters.) And while 62 percent of Obama voters believe government should help the needy, even if it means more debt, swing voters are closer to Romney voters on this question, with just 27 percent of swing voters and 19 percent of Romney voters agreeing with that statement.

When it comes to helping the needy, 72 percent of Obama voters believe it is the government’s responsibility to take care of those who can’t help themselves, versus 48 percent of swing voters and just 41 percent of Romney voters, while on the question of whether society should make every effort to improve the condition of minorities, 49 percent of Obama voters agree, versus just 23 percent of swing voters and just 9 percent of those saying they are certain to vote for Mitt Romney.

Lastly, majorities across the political spectrum believe there is too much power concentrated in the hands of a few companies, according to the survey, but that belief is held by 89 percent of Obama voters, 75 percent of swing voeters, and a smaller 60 percent of Romney voters. Romney voters much more likely to believe that government regulation of business “does more harm than good” — 85 percent versus 56 percent of swing voters and just 32 percent of Obama voters, and 91 percent of Romney voters are concerned that government has become too involved in healthcare, versus 64 percent of swing voters and just 29 percent of Obama voters.

The racial divide unchanged

While the partisan gap is widening, the Pew survey found that values differences between Americans of different ages, education levels, incomes and races haven’t changed much since 1987.

Racial differences remain, particularly on issues of the role of government, but the gap between blacks, whites and Hispanics has remained stable over the decades, with African-Americans and Hispanics consistently remaining more confident in the government’s ability to solve problems, and believing more strongly in the social safety net, and a larger role of government than whites.

In the survey, 62 percent of black respondents agreed with the statement, “we should make every possible effort to improve the position of blacks and other minorities, even if it means giving them preferential treatment,” versus just 22 percent of whites. In 1987, the gap was 64 percent versus 16 percent, a minor change.

And while 78 percent of blacks say the government “should guarantee every citizen enough to eat and a place to sleep” — a figure just 2 percent below where it was 25 years ago, only 52 percent of whites agree, down from 58 percent in 1987.

The survey also found:

• Half of blacks and 31 percent of whites say success in life is “determined by forces outside our control,” almost identical to the 49 percent of blacks and 35 percent of whites who said so in 1987.
• Blacks and whites largely agree that poor people are too dependent on government help, with 72 percent of whites and 70 percent of whites holding this view, and the gap between the two groups has changed little over time.
• The share of African-Americans who believe in the importance of prayer and who have never doubted the existence of God is “far higher than among whites,” according to the survey.
• The percentage of blacks who support gay marriage has grown, but blacks are still less likely than whites to support same-sex unions: 39 percent versus 47 percent of whites.)

And the percentage of black and white respondents who said they have “old fashioned values about marriage and family” is nearly identical (69 percent of blacks and 72 percent of whites) — and blacks are more likely to say women should “return to their traditional role in society.” Still, the gaps between races on these issues has remained virtually unchanged in 25 years, while the partisan divide has grown substantially.

Follow Joy Reid on Twitter at @thereidreport