Curious as to what particular category my current political beliefs put me in, I took the Pew Research Center’s online Political Typology Quiz. The results are below.
Democratic Mainstays make up a larger share of the Democratic coalition than any other group. Older than other Democratic-oriented groups, they also have the highest share of Black non-Hispanic adults of any political typology group, and six-in-ten are women. They generally favor policies that expand the social safety net and support higher taxes on corporations, but they have a moderate tilt on other issues, including immigration and crime. Nearly half consider themselves “strong Democrats,” and they are generally positive about the Democratic Party and its leaders.
This helps to explain why I recently changed my political party affiliation. As a lifelong registered Republican (who, since 1974, rarely voted for anything or anyone remotely having to do with the Republican party – thanks to Richard Milhous Nixon), I’m pleased to say that I have chosen the lesser of two evils and am now a registered Democrat. I’m pretty sure I’ll lose half my friends and most of my relatives because of this. I’ll be sad, but que será, será.
Gary, I so appreciate that you even put this information out there. I would NEVER have guessed that you’d be a registered Republican, with everything that I know you care about through our contact over the years on social media. 🙂 (unsurprisingly, I tested as a “Democratic Mainstay” as well.)
Isn’t it a shame that our friendships and even our family ties and favorites are defined by which political camp we find ourselves best seated in? I hope the polarization of our world will come to an end and hopefully reverse itself at some point.
Alex, you are not the only one to be surprised. I’d been a RINO for decades. Glad to finally change that.
It seems like people are unwilling to make concessions for the good of the majority anymore. Compromise has always been a major factor in successful democratic governments. Without it, we’re in for trouble. I, too, hope the polarization reverses itself.