WASHINGTON — Despite the deep political division in the country, a new poll indicates that most Americans hold similar fundamental beliefs about what it means to be an American.
A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that nearly 90% of U.S. adults consider the right to vote, the right to equal protection under the law, and the right to privacy as extremely or very important to the nation's identity. The survey also showed that 84% feel the same way about the freedom of religion.
The findings, which covered various freedoms and rights, show minimal differences between Republicans and Democrats except for the right to bear arms, which Republicans are more likely to view as fundamental to the nation’s identity. The overall results are significant, given the current extreme partisanship and concerns about potential violence during a volatile presidential election year.
“If you get a bunch of normal people at random and put them in a room together and chat about issues, there’s a lot more convergence than you might imagine,” said Michael Albertus, a political science professor at the University of Chicago.
Another finding reflected a more pessimistic view of the country — only about 30% of Americans believe the nation’s democracy is functioning well. Roughly half say the U.S. is a poorly functioning democracy, while 14% say the U.S. is not a democracy.
Experts note that the tension between the broad consensus on the country’s fundamental values and dissatisfaction with its government's effectiveness is not surprising.
“Part of it is really our leaders are not reflecting the electorate, and they behave in a way that’s much more polarized than what the electorate is,” said Lilliana Mason, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University.
According to Lilliana Mason, most Americans are moderate, but they have been agitated to disdain people of the other party for being different from them culturally, racially, and religiously.
The AP-NORC poll also found widespread agreement on the importance of some key values for the U.S.’s identity as a country. About three-quarters of U.S. adults agree that a democratically elected government is extremely or very important, and about 8 in 10 think the same about the ability of people living in the U.S. to get good jobs and achieve the American dream.
But what achieving that dream means — and which values are most fundamental to American culture — isn’t something all Americans agree on.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans — 71% to 38% — to believe that the ability to come to the U.S. from elsewhere in the world to escape violence or find economic opportunities is core to the country’s identity. A majority of Republicans, 58%, think a culture grounded in Christian values and beliefs is an essential characteristic, compared to only 18% of Democrats.
Juan Sierra, 51, a naturalized citizen whose family immigrated from the Dominican Republic after a hurricane destroyed his father’s cement business, said it is very important to him that the U.S. be seen as a place of opportunity.
The worker in Port St. Lucie, Florida, stated that he thinks democracy is effective and will continue to be so 'as long as there are good people in government.'
Sierra also mentioned the importance of people having freedom of religion, but expressed worries about the nation's identity being tied to Christianity.
“We’re witnessing the outcome when laws and decisions are made based on someone’s religion right now,” he said, referring to the Alabama Supreme Court ruling in February that frozen embryos can be considered children and granted legal protections, which temporarily stopped IVF procedures in the state.
Susan Johnson, a 76-year-old Republican living in the Dallas suburbs, emphasized the importance of the nation being a beacon to others who need refuge, but also expressed concerns about border security.
“We need people working,” she said. “We just need them to come the right way.”
Johnson also expressed her belief that it's extremely important for the nation's identity to be rooted in spirituality.
“Regardless of whether you're Mormon, Muslim, or Christian, they simply need to have some higher power to reach up to,” she said. “The country is going to fall apart if we don’t believe in God.”
The survey found minimal differences on democracy as a system in theory, but it identified one notable gap: younger Americans between 18 to 29 were less likely than those 60 and older to say the U.S. is a well-functioning democracy. They’re also less likely than older Americans to believe that some traits are fundamental to the U.S.’s character as a nation, including having a democratically elected government. Around 6 in 10 younger adults see this as important, compared to around 9 in 10 older adults.
Palakjot Singh, a 21-year-old college student in Fresno, California, described himself as a Republican and stated that he had a better quality of life when Donald Trump was president. He indicated that the U.S. is not a well-functioning democracy partly because people are not open to debating different points of view compared to previous generations.
“There is not good communication,” he said. “Nobody is sitting together trying to get to one point.”
Howard Lavine, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota, mentioned that the generational split is understandable. Many younger people don’t recall a time when those with opposing views and from different political backgrounds could come together and “come over to your house.” Their frame of reference is the hyper partisanship of the Trump years, he said.
Joe Lagle, 55, a retired Air Force veteran in Colorado Springs who said he has not voted for either President Joe Biden or Trump, stated that the nation’s various rights are “all important” but believes they are being eroded by intolerance and well-meaning but shortsighted people.
Mike Maloy, 41, an engineer in Greensboro, North Carolina, stated that having those rights and freedoms “doesn’t necessarily mean the U.S. is a functioning democracy.”
“Everything is run by a handful of people and their corporations,” he said. “That’s not a democracy.”
A member of the Democratic party, Maloy mentioned this year’s presidential primary in North Carolina as an example, where Biden was the only candidate on the ballot. He described it as "frustrating" and stated that voters ended up "having no option."
