Poll: More Americans 'Socially Liberal’ In Generational Shift

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

For the first time more Americans identify as "socially liberal" than conservative, revealing a huge double-digit swing over the past two decades.

Gallup reveals 34 percent of Americans now say they are socially liberal, 30 percent conservative, and 35 percent identify as moderate.

But as the pollster notes, in 2001 "social conservatives had a clear advantage over social liberals -- by 12 points, on average." That started to change in 2013, and now socially liberal has pulled ahead, representing a huge 16 point swing from 2001 to 2021.

Americans' "self-described economic views," Gallup finds, "have remained predominantly conservative over the past two decades."

In a separate report this month Gallup looked at views on sex and marriage, finding Americans increasingly "tolerant."

"Views that gay and lesbian relations are morally acceptable have increased from 40 percent to 69 percent, having a baby outside of marriage from 45 percent to 67 percent, sex between an unmarried man and woman from 53 percent to 73 percent, divorce from 59 percent to 79 percent, polygamy from seven percent to 20 percent, and sex between teenagers from 32 percent to 43 percent. (All but one of these issues were first measured between 2001-2003; the baseline for sex between teenagers is 2013)."