Polarization

August 10, 2006      Admin

On the one hand …

The Pew Research Center just released a report on Americans' attitudes on social issues, in which they conclude:

“Despite talk of 'culture wars' and the high visibility of activist groups on both sides of the cultural divide, there has been no polarization of the public into liberal and conservative camps.”

Advocates working on issues like abortion rights, stem cell research, and gay rights should read this report. Without actually saying so, the report implies that the general public for the most part eschews zealotry, preferring pragmatic middle ground stances on contentious issues. Of course, “middle ground” is a somewhat elusive place to define in practice.

So polarization is out? Not quite.

Continue reading “Polarization”