The Surprising Change in Socially Conservative Americans
Values and Belief survey, revealing that 38 percent of Americans say they are very conservative or conservative on social issues—the highest number of people since 2012.But while most age groups have grown more socially conservative in recent years, the poll showed that there are fewer Americans 65 years of age and older who self-identify as being conservative on social issues than there were in 2022 and 2021.The shift appears to buck the conventional wisdom that younger people are the more socially liberal Americans, while older people tend to be more conservative.
Poll after poll, young voters—those aged 18 to 29—are more likely to favor progressive policies than older voters.A December study from FiveThirtyEight showed that 58 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds favor reparations for descendants of enslaved people, compared to 21 percent of those 60 and older.
The same analysis also found that 47 percent of voters aged 18 to 34 believe that abortion should be legal under any circumstance, compared to 25 percent of those 55 and older.Thursday's Gallup poll showed a different perspective on young voters.
The study, conducted between May 1 and 24, found that voters aged 18 to 29 years old are increasingly identifying as socially conservative, following the broader national trend.In this year's poll, 30 percent of those voters described themselves as being conservative on social issues, compared to 26 percent in 2022 and 24 percent in 2021.
