The values that most Americans say define our national character are changing. Younger generations rate patriotism, religion and having children as less important to them than did young people two decades ago, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey found.
The poll is the latest sign of difficulties the 2020 presidential candidates will likely face in crafting a unifying message for a country divided over personal principles and views of an increasingly diverse society.
When the Journal/NBC News survey asked Americans 21 years ago in 1998 to say which values were most important to them, strong majorities picked the principles of hard work, patriotism, commitment to religion and having children.
Today, hard work remains atop the list (thank goodness!), but the shares of Americans listing the other three values – patriotism, religion and having children – have fallen substantially, driven by changing priorities of people under age 50.
Some 61% in the new survey cited patriotism as very important to them, down 9 percentage points from 1998, while 50% cited religion, down 12 points. Only 43% placed a high value on having children, down a whopping 16 points from two decades ago.
Views varied sharply by age. Among people 55 and older, for example, nearly 80% said patriotism was very important, compared with only 42% among those ages 18-38 – the Millennial generation and older members of Generation Z. Two-thirds of the older group cited religion as very important, compared with fewer than one-third of the younger group.
There’s an emerging America where issues like children, religion and patriotism are far less important. Remember that the Millennials are the largest generation in history. So, in America today, it’s this emerging generation that increasingly calls the shots about where the country is headed in terms of values.
At the same time, the survey found a few points of unity. A slim majority of Americans are very or somewhat satisfied with the economy, but two-thirds say they aren’t confident the next generation will be better off than the current one. Large majorities also rated tolerance for others as a very important personal value – an interesting shift.
Interestingly, generational differences on personal values were most pronounced among Democrats. In fact, the views of Democrats over age 50 were more in line with those of younger Republicans than with younger members of their own party.
In addition to differences in personal values, the poll lays out how the country has divided along partisan lines on many other views of society.
For example, when asked about the country becoming more diverse and tolerant of different lifestyles and cultures, 63% of people who said they would vote Democratic indicated that such moves have been a step forward.
By contrast, only 16% of Republicans said these changes had been a step forward for the country. Instead, nearly six in 10 GOP primary voters said they saw a mixed bag of strides forward and steps back.
The survey also found partisan divides on views of race relations. When surveyed six years ago, about half of Republicans and a slightly larger share of Democrats said relations among the races were on a good footing. Today, however, half of Republicans still say race relations are still good, but only 21% of Democrats say so. That’s a huge change, and I think it’s because most Democrats think President Trump is a racist.
Here’s another related stat from the latest survey: 60% of all adults said race relations are in a bad state, a smaller share than in mid-2016 before Mr. Trump took office – when 74% said relations were poor. While that’s an encouraging sign, it is still a troubling finding.
By comparison, in the new survey, 81% of African Americans said race relations were poor, the highest level in Journal/NBC News polling over more than two decades. That’s sad and indicates that race relations among American minorities have become worse, despite the increasing trend toward “political correctness.”
This dichotomy of views on race relations has widened during President Trump’s time in office, the poll found. Some 56% of all adults surveyed said race relations have gotten worse since Mr. Trump became president, while only 10% said they have improved.
In conclusion, while polls like this one are interesting to read, we must keep in mind that they are also tilted because it is no secret that many American adults, especially those voting Democratic, loathe President Trump, and respond accordingly.
So, while such polls are interesting, I suggest we take parts of this survey with a grain of salt as long as Trump is in office.
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