Pew Research Center Survey Results
A Pew Research Center survey of the U.S. general public, in 2021, showed clusters of political beliefs and values. The origin of the Pew labels included below is detailed in an earlier post. Of course these are generalizations, but there are important underlying trends revealed in a large sample size, carefully analyzed by an organization that aims to remain non-partisan. The quadrants below show my opinion about fears of the Pew political types. Also, the Pew researchers did not arrange their types into quadrants. After the quadrants, the research-based characteristics are touched on.
Fears of the Pew Political Types
Politicians are known to play on voters’ fears. Not all of the fears listed in the quadrants below impacted the election; however, those that likely did are underlined.
Fears Related to Research-based Characteristics
This section reiterates the fears in the chart above. Below each bullet list is text that indicates the Pew types’ research-based characteristics that relate to those fears. There are many more research-based characteristics not included here. Quadrants below are presented in order of political party size.
Auth-left Quadrant
Pew type: Democratic mainstays (moderate Democrats) fears
Media spin: The fears that were emphasized prior to this recent election were migrant crime and drugs coming across the border, even if downplayed by CNN. The auth-left quadrant focused its messaging on Kamala being for law and order, plus “orange man bad.”
Pew type: Establishment liberals’ fears
Media spin: A fear that was emphasized prior to this recent election was the rise of strong-man politics worldwide, a populist movement that opposes the free trade and high immigration that enriches the establishment liberals (as well as committed conservatives).
Auth-right Quadrant
Pew type: Committed conservatives’ (corporate globalist hawks) fears
Media spin: Even with a promise to extend tax cuts, Trump is too anti-establishment for these Reagan republicans. Wokeness and populism were relevant and much discussed by right wing media prior to the recent election.
Pew type: Faith and flag conservatives’ fears
Media spin: Both these fears were highly emphasized in Fox news and other right wing media.
Lib-right Quadrant
Pew type: Populist right fears
Media spin: Fears that were emphasized by the right during recent election campaigns were immigration, high taxes, and inflation causing economic hardship.
Pew type: Ambivalent right (dissident right) fears
Media spin: This Pew type is likely to get their news from online independent sources, including podcasts, which went into detail about a great number of health hazards and free speech infringements.
Lib-left (Green) Quadrant
Pew type: Progressive left fears
Media spin: Both these fears were highly emphasized as connected to right-wing populists as chauvinist and racist.
Pew type: Outsider left fears
Media spin: Both these fears were much in the news around RFK Jr.
Pro-establishment & Anti-establishment
In general, the pro-establishment top quadrants fear crime committed by individuals, while the anti-establishment lower quadrants fear extortion and abuse from large institutions such as government bureaucracies, military and police, corporations, and organized religion. In the past election run-up, enuf of a majority was more persuaded that anti-establishment fears were more realistic.
Non-fears
As a member of the outsider left, I’ll admit what maybe we should be more afraid of:
Modern society has largely eliminated fears of being killed by wild animals. Humans have killed off most large predators, and most people don’t live near wilderness without protection. The nature-loving outsider left is trying to change that by re-introducing wolves in order to balance ecosystems. They also go camping without guns, having bear spray if any protection.
Fear of death by traffic accident doesn’t seem prominent for any group, even though driving is one of the riskier activities most engage in regularly. The outsider left is upping the stakes by increasing the number of bike lanes. This encourages idealistic commuters to be completely vulnerable.
Thanks for reading. This post is most related to the immediately prior Post-election Realignment Update.
Repeat of Quadrants Content
Quadrants below are presented in order of political party size. This content covers the several tables for any who have difficulty reading in that format or use text-to-voice.
Auth-left Quadrant
Pew type: Democratic mainstays (moderate Democrats) fears
• Online scams & identity theft
Pew says on average Democratic mainstays are older. My add: Boomers are less tech savvy and more wealthy, making them a target of scams.
• Burglary & increase in migrant crime
Pew says Democratic mainstays lean liberal, but tends to be conservative on immigration. My add: elderly more vulnerable to criminals.
• Drug addiction increased with open border and is more deadly with fentanyl
Pew says Democratic mainstays have the most ethnic diversity. My add: Many in inner city drug-ridden ghettos are alarmed by fentanyl deaths. Those seeking affordable housing in cities have to contend with newcomers renting in the same areas, so they’re more exposed to drug-related disorder and crime.
Media spin: The fears that were emphasized prior to this recent election were migrant crime and drugs coming across the border, even if downplayed by CNN. The auth-left quadrant focused its messaging on Kamala being for law and order, plus “orange man bad.”
Pew type: Establishment liberals’ fears
• Global rise of populism
Pew says this type is highly educated & high income. My add: They are wealthier and benefit more from access to global workforce & global resources afforded by free trade, unlike populists who oppose globalization generally.
• Aging & disability
My add: as evidenced by the documentary film Don’t Die
• Existential angst
My add: first world problems such as YOLO, FOMO, & Meditations on Moloch
Media spin: A fear that was emphasized prior to this recent election was the rise of strong-man politics worldwide, a populist movement that opposes the free trade and high immigration that enriches the establishment liberals (as well as committed conservatives).
Auth-right Quadrant
Pew type: Committed conservatives (corporate globalist hawks) fears
• Loss of relative status (including wealth)
Pew says this type is highly educated and pro-business. My add: They’re likely wealthier and more status-seeking than many of the other types.
• Posterity catching a victimhood mindset
My add: Victimhood (focus on oppression of marginalized groups by privileged) is part of the “woke mind virus,” opposite the ideal of meritocracy.
• Global rise of populism
Pew says this type is highly educated and pro-business. My add: Big business & the affluent benefit from access to global workforce, global resources, and free trade. On the contrary, populists experience job loss & wage suppression.
Media spin: Even with a promise to extend tax cuts, Trump is too anti-establishment for these Reagan republicans. Wokeness and populism were relevant and much discussed by right wing media prior to the recent election.
Pew type: Faith and flag conservatives’ fears
• Criminal gangs, especially human trafficking
Pew says this type is deeply social conservative. My add: They would be the most sensitive to fears of criminality, especially horrified by sexual exploitation of children & women.
• Social degradation
Pew says this type believes Christianity belongs in public life. My add: They would be the most deeply opposed to porn addiction growing and their posterity catching woke mind virus, especially transgender ideology.
Media spin: Both these fears were highly emphasized in Fox news and other right wing media.
Lib-right Quadrant
Pew type: Populist right fears
• Police and lawfare
Pew says this type is the most likely to live in a rural area and believes U.S. law favors a powerful few. My add: They “been in trouble with the law since the day they weh born.” Many of these don’t love the police or the courts, but they empathize with Trump being dragged to court, vilified, and not protected from a sniper.
• Economic struggle (taxes & low wages)
Pew says this type is among the least college educated and are fervent hard-liners on immigration. My add: It’s largely working class, so most impacted by wage depression and competition from undocumented immigrants.
Media spin: Fears that were emphasized by the right during recent election campaigns were immigration, high taxes, and inflation causing economic hardship.
Pew type: Ambivalent right (dissident right) fears
• Wage slavery & time poverty
Pew says this type is younger, socially liberal, but economically anti-regulation. My add: They seem to fit the overworked tech bro profile, many into bitcoin, expat leisure, early retirement, physical fitness especially, entrepreneurial fans of The 4-hour Work Week.
• Government overreach & free speech
Pew says this type favors smaller government. My add: These consider Julian Assange and Edward Snowden heroes. Silencing of all that goes against the “official narrative” gives reason to hear out RFK Jr.
• Degenerative disease from big agribusiness
My add: These are into supplements, high protein, and longevity. Fear of over-processed foods as well as pollutants in food and water makes RFK Jr.’s causes seem a necessary corrective. While my individual responsibility is to be informed, also don’t tread on me.
Media spin: This Pew type is likely to get their news from online independent sources, including podcasts, which went into detail about a great number of health hazards and free speech infringements.
Lib-left (Green) Quadrant
Pew type: Progressive left fears
• Organized patriarchal religion “the patriarchy” reinforced by capitalism
Pew says this type is young, very politically active, with extremely liberal policy positions. The patriarchy and capitalism are seen as causing marginalization thru exclusion, greed, refusal to share with victims of circumstance.
• Fear of loneliness & disconnection
My add: This Pew type is empathic and in touch with their feelings. Also, some few game the movement for self-promotion, leading the right to see the outraged empaths as useful idiots.
• Fear of oppression of vulnerable groups
Pew says this type is highly educated. My add: Identity politics taught in university drives non-profits and activism insistent on anti-racism & inclusion of the marginalized. This Pew type would be the most vehemently opposed to having their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda challenged.
Media spin: Both these fears were highly emphasized as connected to right-wing populists as chauvinist and racist.
Pew type: Outsider left fears
• Big pharma
Pew says this type is concerned about climate change, often self-defines as politically independent, but tends to lean left if they vote at all. My add: This correlates with “crunchy.” The crunchy favor naturopathic remedies and oppose vaccine mandates.
• Big business
My add: The crunchy are who occupied Wall Street with non-violent sit-ins, trying to organize by consensus-based decision-making. Like RFK Jr., they want to regulate chemical-intensive agribusiness and food additives, distrusting both corporations & government.
Both these fears were much in the news around RFK Jr.
The Pew type outsider left is concerned about climate change, often self-defines as politically independent, but tends to lean left if they vote at all. In my view, this correlates with “crunchy.” This type would favor naturopathic remedies and oppose vaccine mandates. Like RFK Jr., they want to regulate chemical-intensive agribusiness and food additives.