Patriotic and Burned Out

Published:
September 06, 2018

Most everything these days seems to break by partisanship. But two findings from the inaugural Grinnell College National Poll buck that trend. First, strong majorities of both Republican and Democrat voters claim the label of “patriotic.” And, second, voters across party lines are equally likely to say they are burned out on politics.

 “At a time when the two political parties divide deeply, it is interesting to see where they are united,” said Peter Hanson, associate professor of political science at Grinnell College. “On the one hand, we see love of country; on the other, exhaustion with the tone and tenor of our politics.” 

The poll question asked 779 likely midterm voters which of 11 descriptive words and phrases apply to them. It was conducted by Selzer & Company between Aug. 29 and Sept. 2, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

“We live in an era of identity politics,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer, “so we wanted to measure who claims what identity. There’s a lot of name calling going on. Which ones do voters claim, and which do they resist?”

The poll results include:

  • 84 percent of likely midterm voters describe themselves as patriotic, with little variance between Republicans (89 percent) and Democrats (79 percent).
  • 45 percent identify with the phrase “burned out on politics.” While that phrase is not as popular as “patriotic,” its key demographics were as consistent, with 44 percent of Democrats and 43 percent of Republicans identifying with it.

 The Grinnell College Poll also tested the phrase “believer in America first,” and found 67 percent of all likely voters identify with the words that are often associated with President Donald Trump.

Not surprisingly, 91 percent of Republicans say they are believers in America first. But so are 58 percent of independents and 47 percent of Democrats.

“The phrase ‘America first’ holds appeal for Democrats and independents, unlike other areas where the parties are sharply divided,” explained Hanson. “President Trump’s use of the phrase is a way to appeal to people outside his traditional base.”

In addition, over 51 percent of all likely midterm voters describe themselves as “afraid for the future,” including 68 percent of Democrats, 52 percent of independents, and 35 percent of Republicans.  

 Hanson added that despite the attention given to descriptions like socialist, tea party and politically incorrect, “our findings show that these identities do not dominate either party.”

The findings include:

  • 17 percent of likely voters say they are socialists, including 31 percent of Democrats and 13 percent of independents.
  • 24 percent identify as tea party supporters, including 40 percent of Republicans and 15 percent of independents.
  • 32 percent say they would describe themselves as politically incorrect, a group that includes 41 percent of Republicans, 38 percent of independents and 18 percent of Democrats.
  • There are, however, other descriptions that carry political value with select groups.
  • 50 percent of all likely voters consider themselves progressives, including 72 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents. The description is also embraced by 64 percent of non-white voters and 59 percent of voters under 35 years of age.
  • 36 percent say they are feminists, including 55 percent of Democrats. The description also resonates with college-educated voters, especially white women with college degrees, 58 percent of whom say they are feminists.
  • 35 percent self-identify as gun enthusiasts, including 56 percent of Republicans, 57 percent of rural voters and 51 percent of white men without college degrees.

For more information on the poll, please visit www.grinnell.edu/poll.

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