Do you just hate Republicans? Well chances are you're not alone and for all the dislike sent their way Republicans return it with interest. We are more politically divided than ever says Pew, but that should come as no surprise to people here. What is surprising is that the vast majority of us who aren't extremists feel ok about people who think differently than us.
Most Americans of both parties don't care if someone in our close family marries a Republican, or a Democrat, or a person of another race, or country of origin, or yikes a gun owner.
In the largest survey Pew has ever done they asked over 10,000 Americans their views on a variety of subjects. Such a large group allows Pew to drill down into some smaller segments of the group and still come up with some fairly solid numbers.
The bad news is that for people of uniformly liberal or conservative views, many prefer to have friends and live amongst others who feel as they do. The good news is that for most, even of the most partisan bent, they are ok living amongst people of other views.
To our credit liberals seem to be less hateful of conservatives, to their credit more conservatives feel it's important to live close to the outdoors for hiking, fishing, and camping. What strikes me again and again is how moderate the vast majority of both conservatives and liberals are. Our extremes of both parties have moved apart, and most Dems are far to the left of the Repubs, but for the vast majority of both parties, we are a tolerant people.
77% of the most conservative people have no problem if someone in their immediate family married someone of another race. I see that attitude reflected in the people of my county, one of the more conservative counties in the US, Weld (secessionist) County. I don't get the vapors if I hear a racist attitude, but it's a line I draw in how I think of people, and I just about never hear it here. Of course this is the West, not the South, and there is a difference, but still.
70% of the most liberal people don't have a problem with an immediate family member marrying a gun owner. Here at DK it's immediate full Godwin.
Conservatives still have far more racists amongst them, and liberals still have many more gun grabbers, but even the extremes of both ideologies have far more tolerant people than not.
The survey had many questions, and it's going to take me days to go through it. I'll probably post more as I read more. I hope others will take a look and learn more about our attitudes towards each other.
Here's the link again http://www.people-press.org/...