Surprise American Voters Actually Largely Agree On Many Issues

Leo Migdal

-Oct 29, 2025, 1:09 AM

surprise american voters actually largely agree on many issues

Director, American Communities Project, Michigan State University Manager, American Communities Project, Michigan State University Dante Chinni receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for his work on the American Communities Project and is a contributor to the Wall Street Journal. Ari Pinkus receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the American Communities Project. Michigan State University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US. Subscribe and stretch your donation over time:

Or give a secure one-time gift with PayPal or your credit card: Read more about NewsMatch & the Sentinel's Challege Fund » As the presidential election campaign heats up, media coverage suggests Americans are hopelessly divided and headed for a difficult fall – perhaps also a tense January. But that isn’t the whole story, according to reporting and poll results from the American Communities Project, a journalism and research effort we lead that is based at Michigan State University that analyzes the... For a country that often feels hopelessly divided, it turns out that there is a lot of agreement among Americans. Nisian Hughes/Getty ImagesAs the presidential election campaign heats up, media coverage suggests Americans are hopelessly divided and headed for a difficult fall – perhaps also a tense January.

But that isn’t the whole story, according to reporting and poll results from the American Communities Project, a journalism and research ef… As the presidential election campaign heats up, media coverage suggests Americans are hopelessly divided and headed for a difficult fall—perhaps also a tense January. To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eight in 10 U.S.

adults agree on a variety of issues that reflect core aspects of U.S. democracy. These include that using violence to achieve political goals is never OK; that elected leaders should compromise to get things done; and that having a mix of races, religions and cultures benefits the nation. Americans also express a desire to limit the political influence of wealthy individuals and businesses and believe there is a difference between facts and opinions. These findings are the first from the Kettering Foundation/Gallup Democracy for All Project and are based on a multimodal (web and mail) survey of over 20,000 U.S. adults, conducted July 7 to Aug.

25. This is a five-year project designed to measure Americans’ views of how well democracy serves the U.S. and Americans from a variety of different backgrounds. The full report details how Americans largely agree that democracy is the best form of government but do not believe it is functioning well right now. As part of the survey, Americans were shown five pairs of contrasting perspectives on how democracy and U.S. society should function and were asked to choose which perspective comes closer to their view.

Large majorities of all key subgroups of Americans reject violence, favor compromise and embrace a multicultural society. There are modest differences in some of these views by party, age and education. For example, Democrats, independents and college graduates are somewhat more likely than Republicans and non-college graduates to see multiculturalism as a strength. Older Americans and Democrats are more likely than younger Americans and Republicans to endorse compromise. Age differences are even more pronounced when it comes to rejecting the use of political violence, with senior citizens most opposed and young adults the least. This relationship will be explored in more depth in an article to be released next week.

Another question in the survey, asked on a five-point agree/disagree scale, finds that eight in 10 Americans strongly agree (39%) or agree (41%) that everyone, regardless of their views, has the right to free,... Just 5% disagree, and 15% are neutral. As the presidential election campaign heats up, media coverage suggests Americans are hopelessly divided and headed for a difficult fall – perhaps also a tense January. But that isn’t the whole story, according to reporting and poll results from the American Communities Project, a journalism and research effort we lead that is based at Michigan State University that analyzes the... In fact, on issues and policies where government has a serious role – such matters as taxes, immigration, the state of the economy and even abortion – a 2023 survey from the American Communities... But when the topic turned to “culture war” issues (religion, gender identity, guns, family values), the differences were deep.

That divide between talking about “policy” and talking about “culture” – between arguing about “what we want” versus “who we are” – is having a hugely divisive impact on the nation. And if politics and governing are going to get more productive, Americans need to find a way to move past the issues around cultural identity. A new study from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University and Public Agenda finds that Americans are deeply concerned about the state of U.S. democracy and that growing divisions within the Republican Party deepen partisan divides over how the Constitution should guide presidential authority and the balance of power. The report draws from a national survey of 4,500 Americans, earlier polling, and three focus groups with Republican participants. It builds on prior SNF Agora research documenting Republican disagreement about the legitimacy of the 2020 election.

It shows that these differences now extend to views of presidential power, constitutional limits, elections, and trust in government. The research identifies three distinct groups within the Republican Party: "Americans share deep concern for our democracy, but we do not all have the same reasons," said Andrew Seligsohn, president of Public Agenda. "Republicans in particular are divided between those who support unfettered presidential power and those who believe checks and balances are essential to the integrity of our constitutional order. These differences represent a deep cleavage in the Republican Party with consequences for the future of American democracy." Across parties, most Americans express concern about U.S.

democracy: A terrifying new synthetic drug mixture is showing up in U.S. emergency rooms—and doctors say it’s hitting faster and harder than anything in recent years. AI was utilized for research, writing, citation management, and editing. Many of us dismiss a rash as “just allergies,” “just dry skin,” or “probably nothing.”. But doctors warn there is one rash that can turn deadly in hours, not days — and Americans rarely recognize it until it’s too late.

Health officials say a growing, months-long Listeria outbreak tied to prepared pasta meals has already killed six people and hospitalized most of the confirmed patients. Because Listeria can incubate for weeks, experts warn the death toll and case count are likely to rise even after recalls, as additional illnesses are identified and reported. CDC. CALIFORNIA – President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social app, November 9, that most Americans will receive a “tariff dividend” of at least $2,000 per person, funded from federal import-tariff revenues. Thank you for reading! Letters from Leo is a reader-supported publication.

If you find value in my work, please consider becoming a paid subscriber or making a one-time donation. Emma Connolly (UCL Digital Speech Lab) explores the issues, from fears about technology to threats to democracy, that voters on both sides of the political divide agree in The Conversation. During his recent public spat with Donald Trump, Elon Musk� tweeted a poll �asking if a new political party would better represent the 80% of voters in the middle. Hundreds of thousands of people responded and� more than 80% answered "yes" . The middle is still overlooked in US politics. This is because� there is a perception �that Republicans and Democrats have nothing in common, and therefore no issue will win support from both centrist Republicans and Democrats.

Polarisation is problematic as it is linked to� "democratic backsliding" - the use of underhand tactics in political processes. Worst of all,� it poses a threat to democracy. Many think that polarisation is� fuelled by echo chambers �created on social media platforms. These only expose people to beliefs similar to their own.

Surprise American Voters Actually Largely Agree On Many Issues

People Also Search

Director, American Communities Project, Michigan State University Manager, American Communities

Or Give A Secure One-time Gift With PayPal Or Your

But That Isn’t The Whole Story, According To Reporting And

Adults Agree On A Variety Of Issues That Reflect Core

25. This Is A Five-year Project Designed To Measure Americans’