The findings lend credence to the proposition that there are divergent cultural and geographical components associated with political polarization.
“If people living in ‘deep red’ or ‘deep blue’ America feel like they inhabit distinctly different worlds, it is in part because they seek out different types of communities, both geographic and social,” the Pew analysis concludes.
Substantial majorities of Americans with liberal views prefer to live in a community where houses are smaller but where stores, restaurants and schools are within walking distance. The more liberal someone is, the more likely he or she is to express that preference.
At the other end of the ideological spectrum, similarly large percentages of conservatives would rather live where houses are larger but where schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away, and the more conservative they are, the more they prefer it.
What is the ideal community? To conservatives it is a small town or rural area. To liberals it is a city or suburb — although the suburbs are neither side’s favored location. Just 4 percent of those who are the most consistently conservative say they prefer to live in a city, while just 11 percent of those with the most consistently liberal views prefer to live in a rural area.
More than a quarter of all Americans now say it is important to live where people share their political views. More than one-third say most of their close friends have opinions similar to theirs. Conservatives are more likely to say this than liberals, however, with more than six in 10 “consistent conservatives” saying their friends have like-minded political attitudes.
On some questions, liberals and conservatives agree. Big majorities across the political spectrum want to live in communities with good public schools and access to outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing or camping. They also put a premium on living near their extended families.
But on the question of accessibility to the arts, for example, there is a vast divide. Just 23 percent of the most consistently conservative Americans say being near art museums or theaters is important in deciding where to live. Among the most liberal, nearly three in four say proximity to such amenities is important.
Liberals say ethnic and racial diversity are important factors in determining where they want to live, with three-quarters of the most consistently liberal saying that. Among those who are most conservative, however, just one in five puts a premium on such diversity in selecting a place to live.
In contrast, a majority of conservatives say that living near people who share their religious faith is an important feature in deciding where to live. But fewer than one in five Americans with consistently liberal attitudes say that sharing the religious faith of their neighbors is an important factor in where they live. . . .
Although extreme partisans express significant hostility toward the opposite party, this generally does not affect how people see political opposites personally. Most say it does not matter to them if a family member were to marry someone of another race or someone born outside the United States.
But 30 percent of consistent conservatives and 23 percent of consistent liberals say they would be unhappy if a family member married someone from the opposite party.
Almost half of all Americans say they would be unhappy if an immediate family member were to marry someone who doesn’t believe in God. That includes 73 percent of those who are consistently conservative but just 24 percent of those who are consistently liberal.
Observations:
(1) If liberals prefer living in small houses and walking to shops and restaurants, they should move to small rural towns. And if conservatives prefer to drive several miles to get to where they want to go, they should move to larger population centers. Maybe the two should just trade places.
(2) Notice how the social class markers are askew from the conventional wisdom. Leftists brand conservatives as “the rich.” But notice how our aristocrats who frequent “the arts” are nearly all liberal. And how conservatives tend to live in poorer rural areas. I wish Pew would do a correlation with income. My impression is that our upper class today–socially, at least, and maybe to a large degree financially– is largely liberal politically.
These cultural descriptions are rather general. What are some more specific cultural traits of both liberals and conservatives? (I am open to both serious and humorous observations.)
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