American political ideology as a whole has shifted left in recent years, but women are becoming even more liberal, according to Gallup.

The survey data, released Wednesday, shows that while the country remains largely center-right, the percentage of those identifying as or leaning liberal has increased over the past three decades, and is now just 1 percent under it’s all-time high.

Roughly 36 percent of adults identify as conservative, 25 percent as liberal and the rest identify as either moderate or unsure, according to the poll.

When broken down by gender ideology, women in the youngest and oldest age groups said they were more likely to identify as liberal.

Women ages 18-29 were 40 percent more likely to be liberal in 2023, a slight decrease from 41 percent in 2022 and 44 percent in 2020, but still higher than the 30 percent in 2013. Those ages 65 and older were 25 percent more likely to identify as liberal — a slight increase from the 21 percent reported in 2013.

  • karashta
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    799 months ago

    The American political system has done nothing but ratchet to the right for about a hundred years.

    It’s so far right that people think liberals are left wing. That shit is center right lmao

    • themadcodger
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      219 months ago

      That was my thought when they said X identified as conservative, Y liberal, the rest moderate or unsure.

      How about none of the above since they’re all right of center?

      • @lennybird@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Are you guys referring to the labels as applied to the Democratic party, or the people who self-identify as one or the other?

        Because while I think it’s generally fair that the Democratic party is center-right (largely absorbing any half-relevant positions Republicans once had), self-identifying liberals especially of youth and women probably are leftist despite colloquially referring to liberal. In that respect I’d imagine most of these people are effectively Social Democrats by European standards; meaning a mixed bag of regulated markets combined with a strong national government and select nationalized industries (eg, medical insurance). Basically the Nordic Model.

        • @Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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          9 months ago

          Social democrats and market socialists. The issue is that Lemmy loves to insist on the idea that liberalism and leftism are not compatible, which is an outdated, reductive idea.

          Liberalism is just the idea that individual liberty is critical to democratic agency. Myself, and basically every other contemporary leftist of consequence, would argue that democratic agency is also critical to socialism as well.

          The only place where this is a controversial take are internet forums where “leftism” means “violent revolutionary fan service” and the participants are, in turn, educated entirely within this framework which exists basically nowhere in the academic mainstream.

          • @go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            The issue is that Lemmy loves to insist on the idea that liberalism and leftism are not compatible, which is an outdated, reductive idea.

            Well to the previous commenter’s point, that may just be the result of two people using different definitions of the terms.

            Plenty of people do consider their “liberal” beliefs to be incompatible with “leftist” beliefs as evidenced by how many called anybody to the left of Biden as “too radical” during the 2020 primaries. We can debate about the terms but at the end of the day those people have made it clear they openly acknowledge fighting anything to the left of whatever Biden is.

        • DessertStorms
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          9 months ago

          a mixed bag of regulated markets combined with a strong national government and select nationalized industries (eg, medical insurance). Basically the Nordic Model

          So liberal in exactly the same sense American democrats are… People not liking that “liberal” is a negative in any circle left of those who consider themsleves that, doesn’t change what it means…

          https://medium.com/the-simulacrum/the-nordic-model-is-not-a-socialist-model-it-is-capitalist-bbe828d17a8a

          https://truthout.org/articles/fascism-is-possible-not-in-spite-of-liberal-capitalism-but-because-of-it/

          • @lennybird@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            No, not necessarily. Social Democracy is one-step further left on the spectrum when considering a balance between Free Markets versus total nationalization and closed markets within the purview of a functioning Democracy. In essence, a truly mixed economy with a strong welfare foundation and regulator control rods for the markets. For all intents, the progressive-left of the Democratic party are Social Democrats while the mainline “corporate dems” are ostensibly Liberals.

            Tankies dreams’ aside, markets & trade aren’t going away anytime soon.

            • DessertStorms
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              9 months ago

              That’s a lot of words to say you don’t understand what liberalism is… No mount of “strong welfare” counteracts support of capitalism and the oppression and inevitable fascism that comes with it. Because yes, necessarily.

              The fact that you think me saying all of this makes me a tankie is a perfect demonstration of your lack of understanding of these terms and ideas (and/or of your unwillingness to challenge your bias and think outside of the parameters capitalism has set for you).

          • _NoName_
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            19 months ago

            Classical Liberals and especially Neoliberals (what the Democratic party is) are solidly against nationalized industries and while liberalism is ok with either laissez-faire or regulated markets, neoliberalism is strictly anti-regulation.

            Socially democratic nations (Nordic nations being the most consistently socially Democratic) have nationalized industries (Norway has its energy, transportation, finance, and communications all nationalized).

            Probably the closest the US has ever been to social democracy was when social security and the new deal were enacted. The Democratic party has never been majority Socially Liberal to my knowledge, which is one step right from Socially Democratic, which is yet another step right from Democratically Socialist.

        • @Econgrad
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          9 months ago

          I mean that’s what I am, the problem is whenever I use the word social Democrat as an American people have no idea what I’m talking about so I just call myself a Christian socialist instead. After all that’s just a more muscular version of social democracy.

    • @frezik@midwest.social
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      How many environmental regulations were there in 1924? How many black people could vote? Child labor laws? Could you vote in primaries, or did party bosses in literal smoke filled rooms choose a candidate? Could states shut down newspapers and ban non-Christians from holding office?

      If we go back about ten more years, women can’t vote, and Senators are still chosen by state legislators rather than a popular vote.

      Why are leftists so quick to forget their successes?

    • This is a pet peeve of mine: the term “liberal” has gone through a semantic shift in the US. It used to mean “generally left leaning”. I think maybe the word “progressive” has taken on this role now.

      I think the confusion comes from the fact that many European languages always used the cognates of “liberal” to mean “free market”, I.e. “economically conservative”. This is also how the term is used in some academic fields, like economics. But this is precisely the opposite of the other meaning!

      It’s pretty clear the article is using the first meaning. They even use “leaning left” interchangeably with “liberal”.

      My theory is that since Americans have been interacting with Europeans more online since the 2000s, the terms have become conflated.

    • @Pratai@lemmy.ca
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      -79 months ago

      Liberals/democrats ARE left wing. Always have been. By definition the term is based on seating arrangements during the French Revolution. Democrats have always been considered left wing, just as republicans have been right wing. It’s just that now:.: the tankies think they own the term.

      However- in reality… the FAR LEFT has distanced itself so far from the left wing that it doesn’t even resemble what it began as.

      • @njm1314@lemmy.world
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        69 months ago

        I think you might be misunderstanding the French Revolution. By the time those seating arrangements were in place there weren’t any conservatives left. The ones on the right were the Liberals the ones on the left were the leftists. The girondins were in no way conservative. The mountain was in no way liberal.

        • @Pratai@lemmy.ca
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          -29 months ago

          I wasn’t talking about French democrats/conservatives. Just where the terms came from.

      • @go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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        59 months ago

        the FAR LEFT has distanced itself so far from the left wing that it doesn’t even resemble what it began as.

        Yeah they’ve really gone off the rails with this whole “don’t block strikes” and “don’t support genocide” nonsense. /s

        • @Econgrad
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          The gaza war is not a genocide

          • @go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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            -39 months ago

            You can call it whatever you want buddy. Only question you have to ask yourself is do you think Biden needs my vote? If not then just ignore me.

            • @Econgrad
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              Words have meanings. Not every war is a genocide. There’s no attempt to exterminate Palestinians. Gaza is as dense as New York City. If they were trying to wipe out Palestinians there would be far more deaths than there have been.

      • @Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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        -69 months ago

        I’m sorry friend, any knowledge of history or political science is not allowed on Lemmy. You can choose either edgy leftist fan service or a series of escalating bans.

        • @mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          The op isn’t even correct [the idea Democrats and Republicans have always been the same as today is objectively incorrect]. The post never got deleted and there isn’t even enough people on Lemmy to mass downvote a post… Why do you act like the two of you are being martyred for your opinions?

        • @Econgrad
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          -39 months ago

          I thought Lemmy was created to avoid the censorship and bans on Reddit

          • @go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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            19 months ago

            I’m banned on Reddit politics and worldnews for posting leftist opinions. Frankly I’m fine with this becoming a leftist echo chamber because I’m not interested in rehashing the same tired arguments over and over again.

            Don’t block strikes. Don’t support genocide. If you don’t need our votes ignore us. If you need our votes you have to listen to us.

            It’s pretty simple stuff really. Take it or leave it.

            • @Econgrad
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              9 months ago

              That kind of attitude leads to totalitarianism. You need robust debate for a democracy to actually succeed.

              Furthermore when you’re surrounded by echo chambers of your own opinions you get dumber over time. That applies to the left and the right and it’s a big reason why the right is so bonkers now.

              You shouldn’t support creating a maga of the left.

              • @go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                That kind of attitude leads to totalitarianism.

                Alright. Go solve it on Reddit then.

                You shouldn’t support creating a maga of the left.

                Why? Looks like they’ve managed to take over the Republican party. If leftists took over the Democrat party maybe it’d finally be worth a shit.

            • @Econgrad
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              19 months ago

              I mean communism is trash and tankies are literally against freedom of speech so I’m just glad all of Lemmy is not like that

          • @Pratai@lemmy.ca
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            -69 months ago

            It was. Then the tankies found a safe haven here amongst leftist mods and now it’s a shit show of flavor of the week manufactured outrage.

            • @Econgrad
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              -19 months ago

              Literally the only reason I’m here is to avoid censorship so if this place starts doing that I’ll just delete everything and walk away and find another replacement.

                • @Econgrad
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                  -39 months ago

                  Well I won’t get too attached I guess. I refuse to help build up another Reddit that is anti free speech.

                  • @Pratai@lemmy.ca
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                    -19 months ago

                    Oh it’s totally free speech here. Just be careful what you say about Marxism/communism on certain instances. It’s only free speech in those of you agree with the hive.

      • @Econgrad
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        9 months ago

        You’re absolutely correct. But I would say on a global scale the American Democrats are still centrist because they embrace managerial capitalism.

        They’re not even really social Democrats like you see in Europe.

        • @Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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          29 months ago

          Not even a global scale, just literally as compared to Europe.

          Eurocentrists are hilariously blind to their own prejudices. Y’all always say global this, global that when you’re exclusively referring to Europe.