Lagboltz
Well-Known Member
Both left and right agree with each other a lot more than they think they do. It's the perception of disagreement that is causing a rift, not the actual issues. This article points out the counterintuitive details.
This is an excerpt:
[In a] new report from More in Common; What distinguishes this from run-of-the-mill surveys is that More in Common asks not just what various groups think, but what they think the other side thinks.
It turns out that while 87% of Democrats think “George Washington and Abraham Lincoln should be admired for their roles in American history,” Republicans on average believe that only 42% of Democrats would say that.
And while 83% of Democrats agree that “In learning about American history, students should not be made to feel personally responsible for the actions of earlier generations,” Republicans suppose that only 43% would assent to that.
92% of Democrats say, “All students should learn about how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution advanced freedom and equality.” Republicans figured only 45% of Democrats would agree.
Similarly, while 93% of Republicans believe that “Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks should be taught as examples of Americans who fought for equality,” Democrats guess that only 38% of Republicans would agree.
Democrats estimate that only 32% of Republicans would assent that “It’s important that every American student learn about slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation,” whereas the actual percent of Republicans who agree is 83.
A huge majority (91%) of Republicans agree that “Throughout our history, Americans have made incredible achievements and ugly errors.” That is close to the 95% of Democrats who say the same.
But the steady diet of falsehoods, exaggerations and “nut-picking” served up by the conflict entrepreneurs has led us to believe that we are two nations, unbridgeable. Seventy-five percent of Republicans say Democrats are “brainwashed,” and 75% of Democrats say that about Republicans. Among Democrats, 78% describe Republicans as “hateful,” and 73% of Republicans return the compliment. The numbers are worse among the extremes, the 14% of the population who fall into either the “progressive activists” or “devoted conservatives” camp.
This is an excerpt:
[In a] new report from More in Common; What distinguishes this from run-of-the-mill surveys is that More in Common asks not just what various groups think, but what they think the other side thinks.
It turns out that while 87% of Democrats think “George Washington and Abraham Lincoln should be admired for their roles in American history,” Republicans on average believe that only 42% of Democrats would say that.
And while 83% of Democrats agree that “In learning about American history, students should not be made to feel personally responsible for the actions of earlier generations,” Republicans suppose that only 43% would assent to that.
92% of Democrats say, “All students should learn about how the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution advanced freedom and equality.” Republicans figured only 45% of Democrats would agree.
Similarly, while 93% of Republicans believe that “Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks should be taught as examples of Americans who fought for equality,” Democrats guess that only 38% of Republicans would agree.
Democrats estimate that only 32% of Republicans would assent that “It’s important that every American student learn about slavery, Jim Crow, and segregation,” whereas the actual percent of Republicans who agree is 83.
A huge majority (91%) of Republicans agree that “Throughout our history, Americans have made incredible achievements and ugly errors.” That is close to the 95% of Democrats who say the same.
But the steady diet of falsehoods, exaggerations and “nut-picking” served up by the conflict entrepreneurs has led us to believe that we are two nations, unbridgeable. Seventy-five percent of Republicans say Democrats are “brainwashed,” and 75% of Democrats say that about Republicans. Among Democrats, 78% describe Republicans as “hateful,” and 73% of Republicans return the compliment. The numbers are worse among the extremes, the 14% of the population who fall into either the “progressive activists” or “devoted conservatives” camp.