We all think we’re losing

Among the more interesting findings in the recent Pew study of attitudes towards government is this:  Most people think their side is losing.

This is true across demographic, racial, and ethnic lines.  Liberals think they are losing to the Conservatives, and Conservatives think they are losing to the Liberals.  (Democrats are more confident than Republicans, but still, a majority of both parties feel this way.)

I wonder if this applies to other factions, such as those in churches.  I also wonder what this means.

From In politics, most Americans feel they’re on the losing side | Pew Research Center:

In our new survey examining the public’s attitudes about government, just 25% say that, “on the issues that matter,” their side has been winning more often than it has been losing. More than twice as many (64%) say their side loses more often than it wins.

The feeling that political losses outnumber victories is widely shared across demographic groups. Substantial majorities of men (66%) and women (62%) feel like their side loses more than it wins. And there are only modest differences when it comes to race and ethnicity: 66% of whites, 65% of blacks and 59% of Hispanics all say their political side loses more often than it wins.

Yet there are clear partisan differences – fully 79% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say their side loses more often than it wins, compared with 52% of Democrats and Democratic leaners. . . .

However, while Republicans generally feel like their side is “losing,” most Democrats do not feel like political “winners.”

Overall, about half of Democrats and Democratic leaners say their side in politics loses more than it wins, and this sentiment is especially widespread among Democrats with lower levels of education. A majority of Democrats with no more than a high school education (59%), as well as those with some college experience (54%), say their side loses more than it prevails.

Among the only groups who feel like they’re winning are well-educated Democrats. Those with at least a college degree are more likely to say they feel like their side is winning (51%) than say it’s losing (41%).