Gallup: Social conservatism in America at highest rate in a decade

According to recent polling data, a growing number of Americans are shifting more towards conservative outlooks on social issues. The Gallup analytics group’s 2023 Annual Values and Beliefs Survey found that social conservatism in the United States has reached its highest rate in approximately a decade.

Gallup’s data indicated that 38% of Americans identified as either very conservative or conservative on social issues. The last time such a significant percentage of Americans identified as socially conservative was in 2012.

Conversely, the survey revealed a decline in the number of respondents who identified as very liberal or liberal on social issues, which now stands at 29% of Americans. This year’s data marks only the second time since 2011 that the percentage of liberal-leaning respondents has been lower than the current total.

The trend toward conservative values observed in Gallup’s data aligns with other studies that have explored specific partisan issues. For instance, ahead of an impending Supreme Court decision on the legality of colleges and universities considering race in admissions decisions, Pew Research found that 50% of U.S. adults disapprove of this practice, while 33% approve.

Among the study’s conservative respondents, nearly three-quarters (74%) expressed their disapproval of colleges employing this practice. In contrast, a slimmer majority of liberal respondents, 54%, expressed their support for it.

In the realm of gender identity, an increasing number of Americans have indicated their belief that a person’s sex is binary, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. In 2021, 59% of Americans held the view that there are only two genders. However, this number has risen to 65% in 2023. The shift occurred across nearly every political, religious and generational category.

Conversely, the percentage of Americans advocating for the existence of many possible gender identities has correspondingly decreased. In 2021, 40% supported the idea, which has now dropped to 34% in 2023.