NY Times/CBS/MTV poll backs Media Matters' findings of a growing progressive majority
A new poll by The New York Times, CBS News, and MTV has found that younger Americans are, in the Times' words, "leaning left." The poll further validates the findings of a recent report by Media Matters for America and the Campaign for America's Future, which documented the existence of a progressive majority in the United States.
Among the results of the Times/CBS/MTV poll of Americans ages 17 to 29, conducted June 15-23:
- 68 percent support either gay marriage or civil unions for homosexual couples.
- 62 percent favor "[h]aving one health insurance program covering all Americans that would be administered by the government and paid for by taxpayers," compared to 32 percent who prefer "[k]eeping the current system where many people get their insurance from private employers and some have no insurance."
- 54 percent believe global warming "should be one of the highest priorities for government leaders," while a total of 89 percent of those polled consider global warming to be a "serious" or "very serious" problem.
These findings are in line with the June 2007 report by Media Matters and the Campaign for America's Future, which documented that Americans as a whole are progressive across a wide range of controversial issues and are growing more progressive. For example, as the report noted, starting with the pre-boomer generation born before World War II, each successive generation is more progressive on the issue of gay rights than was the generation before it.
Moreover, researchers have noted this generational shift with regard to a range of other issues. As the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press explained in a report released March 22 based on its wide-ranging public opinion surveys:
The decline in social conservatism is being hastened by generational change, as each new age cohort has come into adulthood with less conservative views on the questions than did their predecessors. The biggest generation gap is between the Baby Boomers and those who came before them, and the gap has remained fairly wide even as both cohorts have become somewhat less conservative over the 20-year time span covered by the surveys. Generation X came into adulthood less conservative than either of its predecessor cohorts, but has since tracked the Baby Boomers fairly closely. And the newest age cohort -- Generation Y -- expresses agreement with even fewer of the conservative values.
I've been saying this for months! The Bushes over reached and conservatism will again be marginalized to a handful of wing nuts. Conservatism is so 80's. Reagan is dead, his policies live on but we're doing something about that!
lol... I believe Judy Woodruff of PBS did a report which also came to these conclusions. Bush did a lot to destroy the message of conservatism, and it is showing in this generation. I am 18 and know of only two of my friends who would vote Republican. Most of my friends and classmates are Pro-Gay Rights, Pro-Choice, and Anti-war.
We can only hope that we will return to the days when Archie Bunker was a comical figure, not a role model.
Good one
Archie Bunker was such an anti-role model for me. Making fun of bigots is so much fun!
Reagan is dead, his policies live on but we're doing something about that!
Hey, that's funny! Policies that brought the nation out of the worst situation it had been in for years and your plan is "doing something" to take the nation back INTO the worst situation the nation will ever see. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to that!
Dam, I really don't know how to behave as a part of a political majority. I suppose I can use the privious majoritys behavior as an example of how not to behave.
Please don't act like them. I started posting here right before the 2004 presidential election, and my God after that election the right wingers were drunk and arrogant with power, and the racist element was definitely off the hook. They called non-conservatives losers, mentally ill and chastised us for being out of the mainstream; and OMG the bigoted ones called me every ugly thing you could call a Black person or a women. I was everything except a child of God. I paid them no attention because I knew that there reign was going to be brief , since I believe America is still more middle of the road with small shifts to right and left periodically. That said I ultimately believe that progressive ideas eventually win out over time. You just have to look at history, what was viewed as radical in the past is mainstream now.
Bless you, Lynn. We sometimes need a reminder to stay focused. Progress often comes is tiny chunks, but in the long run, great things are achieved.
54 percent believe global warming "should be one of the highest priorities for government leaders," while a total of 89 percent of those polled consider global warming to be a "serious" or "very serious" problem.
Is anyone surprised? Young kids are now forced to watch Gore's Propaganda flick in school. Gore and his Global Warming Insanity will kill us all.
Don't worry, blogwhore, I'm sure it won't be long before every vestige of scientific education is banished from the classroom. It's not too far a leap from intelligent design to heliocentrism. Cheer up! Maybe we'll be blaming cancer on evil spirits soon...
Coprophagousdescent, or "Rush's stenographer" seems to just be getting up to speed with the EIB.
It also seems unaware that most of the people at this site are here because they knew Rush was BS the minute they first heard him.
Will I regret asking how learning about Global Warming will "KILL US ALL!" ?
Only if you think there is the slightest chance of an actual coherent answer and hold your breath waiting.
how learning about Global Warming will "KILL US ALL!" ?
Ok, hbl, let me help you out. He didn't say learning about global warming would KILL US ALL. What he said was learning LIES about global warming will KILL US ALL.
I also noticed that right after lynn mentioned how she was austricized by right wingers after the 04 election, that a left winger uses "blogwhore" to describe someone giving their opinion. I see things don't change from one side of the fence to the other.
A blogwhore is somebody who constantly promotes their own site.
Let me handicap you and your pal;Start from the premise that Al Gores position on GW is a lie (we'll pretend that's true)
How does this "KILL US ALL" ?
A blogwhore is somebody who constantly promotes their own site.
Okay, thanks. Then my complaint is mute.
And your point is?
You post here, usually not on topic for what? You want someone to visit your blog?
A whore on a street corner is more honest in what they are selling than your are.
Why is it that every time I discuss global warming, some liberal talks about Evolution?
1) I believe in Evolution
2) I'm talking about Global Warming
3) To answer the other posters question, Al Gore will kill us with stupid policies that slow the economy while reducing incentives to develop the technologies we need to actually solve our problems. Light bulbs, hybrids, and wind power is all about guilt w/out actual results.
Light bulbs and hybrids and riding bicycles
Windmills and carpools and smaller vehicles
Making less trash by re-using a string
These are a few of the deadliest things !
(From The Sound of Wingnuts )
I agree with you, and take the automobile industry for example. When they started being forced to have seat belts, and started using air-bags and building more efficient and cleaner engines, it all went to hell. That's why there are no more cars today, and we all have to ride bikes and take the train.
If only politicians back then would have known what technical innovation in the field of security and fuel efficiency would lead to, I'm sure they would have made a different choice!
building more efficient and cleaner engines
Carberated cars of before got 15 mpg. Fuel injected cars of today get 22 mpg. Oh, yeah...the auto industry really did their homework! Maybe if the democrats and unions hadn't opposed so many advancements being considered (back then) perhaps the world wouldn't be in the condition it is in.
You have SO got to be kidding. Is your argument REALLY that Gore will kill us all because his rhetoric will cause us to take half measures as opposed to NO MEASURES AT ALL? Your capacity for self delusion is astonishing.
Yeah, Solon & Fawlty, bury your heads in the sand while Al Gore implements his plan to KILL US ALL!!
I'm always amused at what the extreme right wingers find scary. I once heard one of the radio guys (I think it was Hugh Hewitt) mention that he was "terrified" at the mention of national health care.
Allowing for the limited imagination and the low standards and expectations common to conservatives, I could understand "skeptical", or "opposed", or even "amused" at the idea, but "terrified"?
I don't get the things that are threatening to some people. A small change in habits, or in business practices, in the pursuit of addressing problems, is cause for mortal fear.
They should make it a double-header with "Inherit The Wind".
Oh no! We're Doomed!
DOOOOOOOOOOMED!
Even the concept of conservative values seems to be changing. People who 2+ years ago were happy to deny gays the right to marry, now make a point to say, "I'm conservative, but not 'that kind of conservative.' I believe in x and y and z, but not the war, homophobic laws, etc............"
I keep running into these people, who feel the need to tell me what they believe in.
Conservatives are without question backpedaling. They are trying to lie their way out of their failures by claiming Bush was not Conservative after all, which is pure bulloney. Bush is pure Conservative putting Neo in front of it doesn't change the fact that Conservative's are loyal Bushies.Pinochet was a Conservative. He ruled Chile like a dictator. Crushed his opositions and caused Chile to lag behind all the other Latin American Countries via the Conservative Milton Freidman grand scheme.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Pinochet die a while back having never faced justice for his reign of terror? I bet Dubya is hoping to slither out of this world with the same distinction.
Harlequin, be sure to say EFJ (except for Jeter) in all of your posts. He'll be 'round to tar and feather ya for lumping him in with all the baddies. :)
The Choir admiring its sound in the echochamber notwithstanding....in your dreams it's a new "progressive majority".
68 percent support either gay marriage or civil unions for homosexual couples.
I like the way they clump 2 different things into the question to make it appear that 68% support the gay agenda. It would be like having basket with apples, oranges and potatoes then asking which you like, then coming out with a survey that showed 68% of all people like apples+oranges over all other choices.
Garbage misinformation!!!
The gay marriage/civil union question was an either/or model, including both. Or more accurately, an and/or.
I would say that is different than your apples and oranges analogy, except that your example made no sense without any hypothetical data.
If 68% of those asked said that they liked apples and oranges together best, it would be a perfectly accurate statistic.
But then, I'm probably promoting the Gay Agenda that will KILL US ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!