A recent poll by American Compass/YouGov has highlighted a significant shift in the attitudes of Republican voters, with cultural issues now taking precedence over traditional Republican focal points like taxes and trade.
The survey, which polled 1,000 Republicans who voted in the 2022 midterms, revealed that respondents consider cultural issues like transgender activism, woke capitalism, critical race theory, the border crisis, and globalism as the most pressing national challenges. In fact, 69 percent of the participants chose “transgender activism” as their primary concern.
This shift in focus aligns with a broader change in American public opinion. A Gallup poll conducted earlier this year found that 55 percent of Americans believe it’s morally wrong to attempt to change one’s sex, an increase from 51 percent two years ago. There was also strong opposition to changing sex requirements for athletic competitions.
The survey also asked participants to indicate how much attention they believe politicians should pay to each issue. The results were similar, with participants wanting politicians to devote most of their time to transgender activism and illegal immigration.
Interestingly, cultural issues received 44 percent of the allocated priority points, while only 23 percent of points were assigned to consensus challenges traditionally agreed upon by conservatives. Traditional Republican issues such as taxes, trade, and regulation, dubbed “Old Right” challenges, only received 15 percent of the points.
Despite the economy not being included as a priority option in the survey, it was still a prominent concern for voters. 90 percent of respondents agreed that achieving middle-class security has become more difficult in America. Less than 30 percent of the voters emphasized Old Right issues, while over 40 percent preferred New Right issues like globalization, financialization, and worker power.
The survey also revealed a declining confidence in Wall Street among GOP voters. More than half (57 percent) believed that Wall Street investors are harming the economy, while 43 percent thought they play a crucial role in strengthening it. A significant number of respondents (77 percent) supported tariffs to bolster manufacturing, and just over two-fifths saw unions as a positive economic force.
The survey, conducted between August 11-17, included Republican voters from various educational backgrounds and income ranges, with a majority earning an annual household income of $30,000 to $80,000.
