Results of the 2010 American Values Survey are based on telephone
interviews conducted among a national random sample of 3,013 adults (age 18 and
over) between September 1 and September 14, 2010.
Among the top findings:
- The survey confirmed several attributes of the Tea Party
movement. Compared to the general population, they are
more likely to be non-Hispanic white, are more supportive of small
government, are overwhelmingly supportive of Sarah Palin, and report that Fox
News is their most trusted source of news about politics and current
events.
- But the survey challenged much of the other conventional wisdom about
Americans who consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement:
- Nearly half (47%) also say they are part of the religious right or
conservative Christian movement. Among the more than 8-in-10 (81%) who
identify as Christian within the Tea Party movement, 57% also consider
themselves part of the Christian conservative movement.
- They make up just 11% of the adult population—half the size of the
conservative Christian movement (22%).
- They are mostly social conservatives, not libertarians on social
issues. Nearly two-thirds (63%) say abortion should be illegal in all or most
cases, and less than 1-in-5 (18%) support allowing gay and lesbian couples to
marry.
- They are largely Republican partisans. More than three-quarters say
they identify with (48%) or lean towards (28%) the Republican Party. More than
8-in-10 (83%) say they are voting for or leaning towards Republican candidates
in their districts, and nearly three-quarters (74%) of this group report usually
supporting Republican candidates.
- A majority (54%) of voters say they would be more likely to vote for a
candidate who supported health care reform, including 51% of independent
voters and 79% of Democratic voters. Nearly 6-in-10 (59%) Republican voters say
they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who supported health care
reform.
- Nearly 6-in-10 (58%) Americans favor a policy that provides a future path
to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who have been in the U.S. for several
years. Three-quarters of Americans also say immigration reform policies
should be decided at the national level.
- Public support for same-sex marriage increased by 8 points from 2008 to
2010 (29% to 37%). Half of Democrats, 4-in-10 independents, and less than
1-in-5 (17%) Republicans support allowing gay and lesbian people to
marry.
- Over the past five years, significantly more Americans report their views
have shifted on the issue of rights for gay and lesbian people than on the issue
of abortion (25% to 14% respectively).
see full results here: http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=386
