Of all the splits that define the Red/Blue divide in American politics, the most dominant one may be the one that runs through everyday life, where we live. Those environmental differences are a crucial part of what makes the partisan divide so intractable. The Democratic Party is increasingly tied to […] Read more »
When it comes to saying grace, Americans are still united
… A new poll by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that saying grace is a widespread practice in the United States. About half of all Americans take a minute to say a prayer over their food at least a few times a week, the poll reveals, […] Read more »
In rural America, fewer immigrants and less tolerance
… A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation survey of nearly 1,700 Americans — including more than 1,000 in rural areas — reveals that attitudes toward immigrants form one of the widest gulfs between U.S. cities and rural communities. Rural residents are more likely than people in cities or suburbs to think […] Read more »
Rural America lifted Trump to the presidency. Support is strong, but not monolithic.
Rural America has often backed Republicans in presidential elections, but rarely with the enthusiasm they showed for President Trump in 2016. More sparsely populated areas of the country form the heart of Trump Nation and continue to provide majority support for a president who has faced near-constant controversy and discord. […] Read more »
Rural divide
The political divide between rural and urban America is more cultural than it is economic, rooted in rural residents’ deep misgivings about the nation’s rapidly changing demographics, their sense that Christianity is under siege and their perception that the federal government caters most to the needs of people in big […] Read more »
Reaching Out to the Voters the Left Left Behind
The devastating recession that began at the end of 2007 and officially ended in June 2009 was the most severe downturn since World War II. The political, social and even medical consequences of this recession have been duly noted, but even so the depths of its effects are only now […] Read more »