America the Progressive
Joint Report from Media Matters and Campaign for America's Future shows America is a center-left nation

Washington, D.C. -- Today, Media Matters for America and Campaign for America's Future released a special report, "A Center-Left Nation," rebutting the myth that America is a "center-right" country. Using the latest public opinion data from nonpartisan sources, the report shows that much of the country holds progressive positions on a broad range of issues and demographic trends indicate it is likely to remain that way.

"The media have long portrayed America as a 'center-right' country, even after President Obama's election," said Eric Burns, president of Media Matters for America. "But independent polling shows that, on issue after issue, America is actually progressive and is growing more progressive every day. This report should serve as a wake-up call to the Beltway press -- especially in light of yesterday's Supreme Court nomination -- that the idea that we live in a center-right country is fundamentally false."

Bob Borosage, co-director of Campaign for America's Future, said that the report "should give people the courage to push ahead. The danger is not in going too far too fast, or overreaching; it is in not doing enough. The people are hungry for progressive change. Their leaders need to take them where they want to go."

KEY FINDINGS:

"A Center-Left Nation" relied primarily on three data sources known for their methodological rigor and nonpartisan analysis: the biennial National Election Studies, the Pew Research Center, and Gallup. The report shows that, across a broad range of issues, America is a progressive country.

• The role of government: Sixty-six percent of people -- a 9-percent increase since 2004 -- believe "there are more things government should be doing," compared with 32 percent who believe "less government the better." Sixty-two percent of people -- a 21-percent increase since 2004 -- believe "government has become bigger because the problems we face have become bigger," compared with 37 percent who believe government has gotten bigger because "it has gotten involved in things people should do for themselves."

• Business: Five times as many people (78 percent vs. 15 percent) believe "[t]oo much power is concentrated in the hands of a few large companies" as opposed to those who believe that the largest companies "do not have too much power." Additionally, 68 percent of Americans would like to see major corporations have less influence in the country.

• Health care: Fifty-four percent of Americans think it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure all Americans have health care coverage; 46 percent support the implementation of a government insurance plan, compared with 28 percent who favor private insurance plans.

• Taxes: Sixty-seven percent of Americans believe corporations pay too little in federal taxes and 60 percent believe high-income people pay too little. Unsurprisingly, a March Pew poll found that 61 percent of the public supported Obama's proposal to raise taxes on those making more than $200,000 per year.

• The culture war: Sixty-one percent of Americans support "government funding for research" on embryonic stem cells; 77 percent support allowing gays to serve in the military; 61 percent support same-sex marriage or civil unions.

The report also shows that groups making up the progressive coalition are on the rise while conservatives are declining in number:

• Young voters: People under 30 chose Barack Obama for president by a 34-point margin over Sen. John McCain (66 percent vs. 32 percent). Every year, an additional 4.5 million members of the so-called Millennial Generation will become eligible to vote.

• Hispanics: Hispanics are the fastest-growing major demographic group. It is estimated Hispanics will increase from 15.3 percent of the population to 39 percent by 2050. According to the Pew Hispanic Survey, 65 percent of registered Hispanic voters indentified with or leaned toward the Democratic Party.

• African-Americans: The Obama election excited the African-American community, long a rock of progressive support, as never before. The turnout among African-Americans increased by 4.9 percentage points, from 60.3 percent in 2004 to 65.2 percent in 2008, nearly matching the white rate of 66.1 percent.

• Older voters: Senior citizens 65 and older represent only 16 percent of eligible voters. McCain won among senior citizens (53 percent to 45 percent), but the next age group down, those between 50 and 64, split almost down the middle (Obama, 50 percent; McCain, 49 percent).

• Women: Women as a whole tend to lean Democratic, and Obama outscored McCain among women 56 percent to 43 percent (compared with 49 percent to 48 percent among men). But a more notable story was that of unmarried women, who are becoming key to the emerging American electorate. They chose Obama 70 percent to 29 percent, a stunning 41-point margin.

• Geography: More than half of the country (54 percent) now lives in large metropolitan areas, defined as places with populations over a million people. Obama won these 51 regions by a 17-point margin (58 percent to 41 percent). Another 20 percent of the population lives in medium-sized metropolitan areas with 250,000 to 1 million people. Obama carried these regions by 4 points.

To read the full report, please visit:

http://mediamatters.org/reports/200905270017

To view the report as a PDF, please visit:

http://mediamatters.org/static/pdf/caf_mm-20090526-4.pdf

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