Ron Faucheux: A shocking picture of American values, social trends

American values have fallen off a cliff. A new national poll has unearthed findings that are hard to believe and difficult to accept.

Since 1998, the proportion of Americans who say patriotism is very important has dropped from 70% to 38%. On the same scale, religion has plunged from 62% to 39%. Since 2019, only four years ago, community involvement declined from 62% to 27% and tolerance for others fell from 80% to 59%.

The Wall Street Journal-NORC poll, conducted March 1-13, also finds that only 30% of Americans believe having children is very important to them. Less than half, 48%, say belief in God is very important.

Republicans, much more than Democrats, believe patriotism (59% vs. 23%) and religion (53% vs. 27%) are very important. By smaller margins, Republicans are more likely to attach strong importance to having children (38% vs. 26%) and Democrats are more likely to say community involvement is very important (32% vs. 25%).

There are generational gaps as well. Seniors are much more likely to view patriotism as very important than are 18-29-year-olds, and by a whopping 36 points. On religion, the gap is 24 points, and on hard work, 14 points.

While these values are eroding, one thing that has gained standing is money. Twenty-five years ago, 31% said money was very important to them and now it’s 43%.

This survey data cannot be easily explained away, methodologically or politically. Conservatives will say it proves that government overreach and left-wing fanaticism are destroying fundamental values that hold families together and make America great. Progressives will argue that racism and right-wing activism have undermined institutional trust and degraded respect for justice and democracy.

Take your pick — but keep in mind there is an additional viewpoint, one that elevates the significance of technology, politicization, polarization and the role of social and public media as drivers of societal change. These megatrends cannot be ignored.

The survey data also paints a bleak picture of an American future at risk:

• Just 5% of U.S. adults strongly agree that they have a good chance of improving their standard of living.
• Only 17% say their finances are in better condition than they expected at this stage in life and no more than 16% are “pretty well satisfied” with their financial condition.
• Only 21% feel confident that life for their children’s generation will be better than it has been for them.
• A solitary 1% say the economy is excellent and a mere 15% expect it to get better over the next year.
• Only 6% say they have a great deal of confidence in public schools, and a solid 56% majority think that getting a four-year college degree is not worth the cost.
• On spiritual matters, just 17% of Americans say they’re very religious, far fewer than those who say they’re not religious at all (29%). Only 19% say they attend religious services at least once a week.

Shockingly, the poll also finds that more Americans believe “other countries are better than the United States” than those who believe the U.S. “stands above all countries in the world” (27% vs. 21%).

Along with pessimism and eroding values, most Americans seem to favor liberalizing social trends. Huge percentages, between 67% and 86%, say promoting gender equality, accepting LGBT and transgender people and taking steps to promote racial and ethnic diversity are moving at about the right pace or should be going even faster.

It’s fair to conclude, however, that Americans are of two minds — conceptual views don’t always match specific policy choices. Only 15% of U.S. adults favor colleges and universities considering a student’s race and ethnicity when making admission decisions. That’s at least partly at odds with the 67% who say educational institutions are doing about right, or should be doing more, to promote racial and ethnic diversity. The same for acceptance of transgender people; just 17% say transgender athletes should be able to play on sports teams that match their current gender identity and only 18% like the idea of using gender-neutral pronouns, such as they/them.

This new poll provides a vivid picture of changing American values and attitudes. To be sure, it offers a candid look at today’s harsh realities.

Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, polling expert and writer. Based in Louisiana, he authored the book Running for Office and publishes a national newsletter on polls and public opinion, LunchtimePolitics.com.