Posted on 11/26/2007 8:25:27 AM PST by freespirited
Forty-one percent (41%) of American voters say they are conservative when it comes to “fiscal issues such as taxes, government spending, and business regulation.” A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 43% consider themselves fiscally moderate and 12% say liberal.
At the same time, 37% say they are conservative when it comes to “social issues like abortion, public prayer, and church-state topics.” On such social issues, 30% say they are moderate while 30% say liberal.
Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Republicans consider themselves fiscal conservatives. Fifty percent (50%) of Democrats and 49% of those not affiliated with either major party consider themselves fiscal moderates.
On social issues, 61% of Republicans say they are conservative. Forty-three percent (43%) of Democrats say they are liberal . Those not affiliated with either major party find themselves evenly divided—30% social conservatives, 35% social moderates, and 33% social liberals.
Combining the two categories yields an interesting portrait of the electorate. The largest segment of the population—24%--consider themselves to be both fiscally and socially conservative. Seventeen percent (17%) say they are both fiscally and socially moderate.
Fourteen percent (14%) are fiscally moderate and socially liberal. Eleven percent (11%) are fiscally moderate and socially conservative. Ten percent (10%) are fiscally conservative and socially moderate. Nine percent (9%) are both fiscally and socially liberal. Six percent (6%) are fiscally conservative and socially liberal.
Among Republicans, 47% are both fiscally and socially conservative.
Democrats have no such dominant base. Twenty percent (20%) are fiscally moderate but liberal on the social issues. Nineteen percent (19%) of Democrats consider themselves moderate on both fiscal and social issues. Sixteen percent (16%) of Nancy Pelosi’s party say they are liberal on both fiscal and social issues.
Rasmussen Reports is an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information.
The Rasmussen Reports ElectionEdge™ Premium Service for Election 2008 offers the most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a Presidential election.
Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports, has been an independent pollster for more than a decade.
This national telephone survey of 4,358 Likely Voters was conducted by Rasmussen Reports from October 26 to November 13. The margin of sampling error for the survey is between +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.
If only those 16% did not have influence far exceeding their actual numbers.
They just make up the faculty of our universities, the clergy of the mainstream denominations, the public school teachers, and the editors of the major print and television media.
This poll give another reason why conservatives should be backing Fred Thompson: he’s a solid conservative, both socially and fiscally, but his insistence on strict federalism in his approach to domestic policy makes his method of implementing conservative policies more appealing to moderates than other approaches to the same goals.
IMHO, if the pollsters just asked people outright whether they think they belong in each of the mentioned categories, then the poll results are useless. Do people know what “socially conservative” — or any of the other labels — means? It would have been better to ask for people’s views on specifics; such as raising taxes, or Christmas trees on public land.
“Rasmussen” -says it all
Here’s the problem with that report. People are labeling themselves dishonestly, using a faulty scale. Like you point out, there is no way only 16% of the Democrat party is liberal on both social and fiscal issues. Democrats love to paint themselves as mainstream moderates. It’s a self given label that just doesn’t match up to the facts. It is just a manipulative tactic to make weak minded voters think all reasonable people agree with the Democrats while only extremists agree with the Republicans.
It is probably a better study in what people think of and how they define those labels than it is in what people actually believe.
Yes, but how many of them are "progressive?"
Among Republicans, 47% are both fiscally and socially conservative.
***That means the majority are not. That’s why we see someone like tootyfruityrudy in the lead for the nomination. The republican party is being redefined and rudy’s hope & strategy is that it excludes socons.
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Why the smart money is on Duncan Hunter
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926032/posts
Posted on 11/15/2007 3:43:17 AM PST by Kevmo
Perhaps the pro-Rudy wing of the Republican party should take note of this.
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