Since may were so eager to suggest that my posts have a partisan hue to them, I figured that I owe all of you a real partisan post. That way you can rightfully proclaim that the sky is falling and man the battle stations, or whatever it is that people do once they have been inflicted with the missives of the other side.
Zogby has done a poll. A large sample poll no less, to determine what most Americansâ„¢ think about their neighbors, er, not really, was about prejudices. 10,387 people were questioned about attitudes about race, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender, physical appearance, and politics. And ahem, most Americansâ„¢ have decided that Democrats are largely responsible for crime. 42% of the respondents said Democrats were more responsible for crime than Republicans, while 23% of the respondents blamed Republicans. So there you have it. Clearly if you are concerned about rising crime, Democrats are the ones responsible.
The rest of the poll, which asked, which political party most Americans believe to be responsible for many of the gravest problems facing the world:
- War: 62% blamed Republicans vs. 14% Democrats
- Global Warming: 56% blamed Republicans vs. 10% Democrats
- Prejudice: 52% blamed Republicans vs. 22% for Democrats
- Poverty: 49% held Republicans accountable; 29% Democrats
- Corruption: 47% blamed Republicans vs. 31% Democrats
So let’s see most Americansâ„¢ think Democrats should be blamed for crime, but if you are looking to blame a party for war, global warming, prejudice, poverty and corruption, the Republicans are your culprits. How Republicans managed to look good on crime when the vast majority of crimes have risen during the years Republicans have held majorities in all three branches of government is a bit startling. But this is most Americansâ„¢ who think this way.
But there’s more:
- 73% said in the event of a shooting, most Americans would expect African Americans to be involved
- 55% said in the event of a drug bust, most Americans would expect African Americans to be involved
- 53% said in the event of identity theft; most Americans would expect whites to be involved
- 70% said in the event of insurance fraud, most Americans would expect whites to be involved
It gets better on Religion:
- 83% said Americans think Muslims are the most likely to engage in terrorism (83%).
- 42% believe Americans would be most concerned about their child dating a Muslim; followed by an atheist (17%), and a Mormon (14%). So I guess Mitt Romney’s children won’t be that popular if he manages to get elected as President.
- 37% believe Americans think Catholics are most likely to be involved in sexual abuse
This poll came about because of a new tv game show called Without Prejudice?. The full poll is here.
How would you have answered the questions? Now discuss amongst yourselves.
