By David Brooks
Every
few years one research group or another produces a typology of the
electorate. The researchers conduct thousands of interviews and identify
the different clusters American voters fall into.
More
in Common has just completed a large such typology. It’s one of the
best I’ve seen because it understands that American politics is no
longer about what health care plan you support. It’s about identity,
psychology, moral foundations and the dynamics of tribal resentment.
The report, “Hidden Tribes,”
breaks Americans into seven groups, from left to right, with names like
Traditional Liberals, Moderates, Politically Disengaged and so on. It
won’t surprise you to learn that the most active groups are on the
extremes — Progressive Activists on the left (8 percent of Americans)
and Devoted Conservatives on the right (6 percent).
These
two groups are the richest of all the groups. They are the whitest of
the groups. Their members have among the highest education levels, and
they report high levels of personal security.
We
sometimes think of this as a populist moment. But that’s not true. My
first big takeaway from “Hidden Tribes” is that our political conflict
is primarily a rich, white civil war. It’s between privileged
progressives and privileged conservatives.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The New York Times (via Empire Report New York)
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