Only 20% of US population are economic liberals

Here's a perspective on where Americans stand on economic and social issues, fifty years after the upheavals of the sixties we've been discussing in the last few posts. Gallup has done their annual poll on values and beliefs in recent weeks.

Americans are more than twice as likely to identify themselves as conservative rather than liberal on economic issues, 46% to 20%. The gap is narrower on social issues, but conservatives still outnumber liberals, 38% to 28%.

 

20% is quite an improvement, in fact. It was as low as 13% in 2005. Americans are very reluctant to overturn current economic institutions without a very clear and legitimate way forward.