It's not just a change in demographics, it's a change in values

[SpartanDem]

There is a major shift going on in this country, the hyper individualistic, nationalism that has defined this country for so long is declining. Even when comes reactions to terms like "capitalism" or "socialism" there is shift taking place. Yet, so many on the right even after the election are seemingly clueless about it. They have either said they just need to talk about conservatism differently. Oblivious to the fact it's not what they said, it's what they were selling. The second response has been outright insults, the accusation the reason why people vote for Obama is because he promised us "free stuff". Either way not a recipe for gaining voters.

American opinions continue to differ considerably from those of Western Europeans when it comes to views of individualism and the role of the state. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) Americans believe it is more important for everyone to be free to pursue their life’s goals without interference from the state, while just 35% say it is more important for the state to play an active role in society so as to guarantee that nobody is in need.

American opinions about the role of the state also vary considerably across age groups. About half (47%) of those younger than 30 prioritize the freedom to pursue life’s goals without interference from the state and a similar percentage (46%) say it is more important for the state to ensure that nobody is in need; among older Americans, however, about six-in-ten consider being free a higher priority, with just about three-in-ten saying the state should play an active role so that nobody is in need. No such age difference is evident in the four Western European countries surveyed.

While opinions about cultural superiority have remained relatively stable over the years in the four Western European countries surveyed, Americans are now far less likely to say that their culture is better than others; six-in-ten Americans held this belief in 2002 and 55% did so in 2007. Belief in cultural superiority has declined among Americans across age, gender and education groups.

As in past surveys, older Americans remain far more inclined than younger ones to believe that their culture is better than others. Six-in-ten Americans ages 50 or older share this view, while 34% disagree; those younger than 30 hold the opposite view, with just 37% saying American culture is superior and 61% saying it is not. Opinions are more divided among those ages 30 to 49; 44% in this group see American culture as superior and 50% do not.

Politically, conservatives in the U.S., Spain and Germany are more likely than liberals to say it is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values, but while solid majorities of conservatives in the U.S. (66%) take this position, fewer than half of conservatives in Spain (31%) and Germany (46%) share this view. Meanwhile, just 26% of liberals in the U.S., 11% in Spain and 19% in Germany say belief in God is a necessary foundation for morality. Conservatives in the U.S. are also far more likely than liberals to consider religion very important in their lives (67% vs. 29%); in Western Europe, few across ideological groups place high importance on religion.

http://www.pewglobal.org/2011/11/17/the-american-western-european-values-gap/


http://www.people-press.org/2011/12/28/little-change-in-publics-response-to-capitalism-socialism/?src=prc-headline

[flamingdem]

1. We're getting more communal

The web has helped, even Facebook, yes even that

[zatoichiicc]

2. One leads to another

The change in demographics will lead to a change in values.

David Brooks pointed out that Asian and Hispanics do not see government as the problem. They tend to see government as something that can and should be a force for good.

[DCKit]

3. Rec for the work you put into that. nt

[AverageJoe90]

5. May I second that? n/t =)

[DCKit]

6. No you can't, I was there first. Kidding, you can always rec something on DU.

After all, we're Democratic.

[AverageJoe90]

7. LOL, thanks for the laughs, man. n/t =D

[luv_mykatz]

4. K&R

Because a change in values is long over-due...or at least recognition that most of us do not share the values of greed and hate.

[DCKit]

8. I'm thinking of changing over...

Those fuckers seem to live forever. We're doing something wrong.

[RainDog]

9. lots of good info! thanks n/t

[starroute]

10. There's a bias built into the way they asked the question, though

People were asked whether it's more important "for everyone to be free to pursue their life’s goals without interference from the state" or "for the state to play an active role in society so as to guarantee that nobody is in need."

But that in itself raises a presumption that government activism has no other goal than to help the needy -- which is far from true.

Suppose the question was something like this: "Some people believe that government action is necessary to help everyone pursue their life goals. They believe that people should be able to obtain higher education without taking on a crushing burden of debt, feel assured of health care even if they change jobs or quit their job to start a small business, and make positive life-choices without being constrained by a fear of poverty in old age. Other people believe that the fear of failure is a powerful motivating force and that any kind of social safety net undercuts the willingness to take risks and weakens the drive for individual success. With which position do you agree more?"

I think you'd get very different results.