Zogby American Values Survey I 2004

email from Carl Pearlston ^ | John Zogby

[DentsRun]

The recently released John Zogby American Values Survey 1-2004 polls the American public on a wide range of value questions. The results are instructive not only in clarifying the continuing polarization of the public between the "Red" and "Blue" voting states in the 2000 election, but in showing the breakdown of this polarization among discrete population groups, including Jews, Muslims, and Christians. While the results may be discouraging for conservative Jews who do not share the usual Jewish liberal value orientation, it serves as a reminder of the insularity of that orientation with respect to the entire national population, and may lead some in the liberal community to question the wisdom of those value positions.

Following are the significant survey results abstracted from the published survey:

1. Do you agree or disagree with the political, economic, and social values espoused by former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton?

Nationwide, 51% of the electorate opposed those values, while only 40% supported them. Jewish voters agreed with the values by 82% to 12%, Moslems 90% to 10%, while Christians opposed by 60% to 30%.

2. Do you regard the Bush presidency as legitimate, or do you think the election was stolen?

Nationwide, 55% believe the election was legitimate, while 38% believe it was stolen. Jews are 71% to 22% that it was stolen.

3. Do you agree with the policy of the US Justice Department denying usual criminal due-process rights to terrorist prisoners at Guantanamo Bay?

By 52% to 38%, the American public agrees with the policy. Jews and Moslems oppose it by 54% to 34%, while Christians support it by 57%.

4. Should the 25% of the UN budget that the US pays be reduced, increased, or remain the same?

Nationwide, 46% of voters believe that the US dues to the UN should be reduced. Only 26% of Jewish voters agreed.

5. Do you agree or disagree that by removing prayer in school, by removing the words under God from the Pledge of Allegiance, and fighting the display of the Ten Commandments or a nativity scene, we have eliminated our moral compass in daily decision-making?

Nationally, 62% of the electorate agree, and 44% disagree. Jews and Moslems agree 49% to 48%, while Protestants and Catholics agree 72% and 64%.

6. Is having a President who is deeply religious important to you?

Nationally, 59% said it was important. Only 15% of Jewish voters agreed, and 76% of Jews preferred a President who was not religious.

7. Should the state and federal governments recognize civil unions between persons of the same sex, granting them the legal benefits of marriage, or should the state and federal governments only recognize marriage between a man and a woman?

Nationwide, 62% agree with recognition of only marriage between a man and a woman), with 34% agreeing with civil unions. Jewish voters supported civil unions by 79%, with only 21% supporting traditional marriage.

8. Do you favor or oppose abortion, in whole or in part?

52% of all voters nationwide prefer some level of prohibition on abortions, while 47% favor allowing abortions. Jews favor abortions 89% to only 11% who favor some restrictions, while Muslims are overwhelmingly opposed to abortion (90%). 63% of Catholics and 55% of Protestants opposed abortion to one degree or another.

9. Do you believe that abortion destroys human life and is manslaughter?

52% nationwide believe that it is manslaughter; 36% disagree. Christians agree 56%. Jews, however, felt it was not manslaughter by 73% to 18%.

10. Do you believe there should be less restrictions on abortion, more restrictions, or have your views remained the same over the past 5-10 years?

Nationwide, 22% believed in more restrictions (as opposed to 14% in 1999 when this poii was done earlier), while 11% believe in less restrictions (vs. 5% in 1999), and 66% said their views had remained the same (vs 79% in 1999). Jewish voters believed in less restrictions by a 15% margin.

11. Do you think that allowing residents to have permits to carry concealed firearms, as is the law in 36 states, is a good or bad law?

Americans believe this is a good law by a 79% to 18% margin, and most demographic groups agree.

12. Do you believe we need new and tougher gun control laws, or are there enough laws on the books?

Nationwide, voters believed by 66% to 31% that there are enough gun control laws on the books. Catholics and Protestants agreed 63% and 71% respectively. Jewish and Muslim voters, however, felt more laws were needed 58% and 88%, respectively.

13. Do you agree that the NRA is right to fight gun control legislation?

64% of voters nationwide agree; 31% disagree. Jews and Muslims oppose the NRA’s fight 81% and 88%, respectively, while Christians are 66% in support of the NRA.

14. Do you believe that killing wild animals for food or sport is an American tradition and an essential part of wildlife management, or do you believe hunting is a cruel sport that should be outlawed?

92% of gun owners and 73% of non-gun owners agreed that hunting is a tradition and essential to wildlife management. Protestants agreed 87%, Catholics 80%, but Jews only 49%. 29% of Jews felt hunting was a cruel sport.

15. Do you believe that land taken for development that was used for hunting and wildlife conservation should be replaced?

49% nationally thought it very important, and 29% thought it somewhat important that the federal or state government replace this land. Protestants agreed 52% that it was very important and 35% that it was important. Similarly, Catholics agreed 60% and 28%. Jewish voters agreed 76% and 14%, while Muslims were even more supportive 78% and 22%.

16. What is the best option for coping with increasing populations of deer, bear, or wolves: lengthen the hunting season, use non-lethal methods of control, or learn to live with wildlife?

61% of those polled thought lengthening the hunting season was the best choice. 18% felt non-lethal methods were best, and 16% believed people should just learn to live with wildlife. Muslims agreed with lengthening the hunting season by 88%, Protestants 65%, Catholics 61%, but only 34% of Jews thought this the best option. Jews thought non-lethal controls best by 28%, while 25% of Jews thought people should just learn to live with wildlife.

17. Were the Bush tax cuts good or bad for you?

41% nationally felt the cuts were good for them. 31% felt they made no difference, and 25% said the cuts were bad for them. 40% of Catholics, 44 % of Protestants, and 78% of Muslims felt they were good. Jews were almost evenly divided, with 35% saying the cuts were bad, 30% saying they were good, and 36% saying they made no difference.

18. Suppose you earned one million dollars in your job. What tax rate do you think would be fair to you and the federal government?

29% thought a rate between 10% and 20% would be most appropriate; 27% thought a rate 21-30% fair. 17% thought a rate less than 10% fair, and 21% thought a rate over 30% appropriate. 43% of Jews agreed that more than 30% was fair.

19. Do you agree with the FCC position that major media companies should be allowed to own more media outlets?

63% of voters nationally disagreed with the FCC, only 30% agreeing. Catholics Protestants, and Jews all disagreed by respective margins of 65%, 59% , and 76%. However, Muslims agreed with the FCC by 78%.

[tkathy]

Zogby is a Muslim with an agenda.

[GaConfed]

... I'm buying more foil stock!

Well, you'll be making a mistake. I use Saran wrap. Don't have any use for foil. Oh yea, your your hero Woodrow Wilson did just about as much to destroy our glorious Constitution as Lincoln did. One more thing, just in case you're one of them, Nothing Sucks Like a Big Orange.:)

[DentsRun]

Do you have the original poll? I'd like to look at the methodology and population sample.

I'm sorry to say I don't. My post came to me as a group email from Carl Pearlston who was (or still is) director of Toward Tradition, Rabbi Lapin's organization up in Vancouver. I have tried searching for the report on the Zogby site without success (it only shows a values survey from 2000). My guess is that you have to buy the report and that's what Pearlston did and then excerpted the parts I posted.

[DentsRun]

Zogby is a Muslim with an agenda.

I don't know anything about his faith. I just say though that any pollster with an agenda is not going to last very long. His agenda will invariably color his results, as happened for instance with the LA Times poll when it egregiously predicted that the Gray Davis recall would fail at the voting booth (and of course Davis was recalled overwhelmingly). Now, as a result, many people read LA Times poll results with the same amused scepticism as they do the astrology charts. How have Zogby predictions panned out in recent elections (Schwarzenegger versus Bustamante, Bush versus Gore) compared to other pollsters?

[Fledermaus]

One more thing, just in case you're one of them, Nothing Sucks Like a Big Orange.:)

Ha ha, you fail again! lol

I hate the Big Orange!

[raloxk]

"The final surprise. Everyone thinks concealed carry laws are a good idea."

I cant believe that Jews think that.

[raloxk]

"I wonder if these were jews by religion or heritage?"

Most Jews in America are jews by heritage. If you want to see Jews who are Orthodox and vote conservative go to Australia.

I know Jews who go to Temple regulary and who are athiests and nihlists: revolting

[edwin hubble]

"Zogby is a Muslim with an agenda."

Actually, Zogby may be an Arab with an agenda (Lebanese).

I think his religious heritage is Christian (like most Americans of Arab descent).

His biography on the speakers bureau notes his affiliation with Catholic organizations.

[GaConfed]

I know Jews who go to Temple regulary and who are athiests and nihlists: revolting

I agree, and it is revolting, however, I know a lot of mainline Protestants, some are my kinfolks, who you can say the same about.

[Krodg]

I agree, the fact that so many Jews and Muslims converged in opinion was suprising

Why the surprise? Both have denied our Lord's message.

[GaConfed]

So, tell me, how does it feel to believe in nothing except aquiring money and power over other people? What a sad, soulless, shallow minded existence!!

[edwin hubble]

"Zogby is a Muslim with an agenda."

Here is an excerpt of an interview of John Zogby, (Christian Lebanese) (from article in American Enterprise, April-May, 2002)

(John Zogby quote):
I'm a child of the first wave [of Arab immigration]. It's predominantly Lebanese and predominantly Christian.

The second wave is much more mixed. The first wave ended in 1940, with the onset of World War II. The second wave didn't really begin until after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, so you have a big hiatus between the two groups. People in the second wave wanted to be recognized as minorities in cities like Dearborn, Michigan, Los Angeles, and Brooklyn.

On the other hand people of my generation were saying, "No, we're white ethnics." Some of that tension is Christian-Muslim and some is first wave vs. second wave. Some of it is status anxiety too. Folks of my generation are saying, "Me, a minority? Look at what I've achieved. I did this without any government help."

With that said, there still is some affinity even among assimilated Christian Arabs toward Pakistanis and toward Indians and toward people of Muslim or Third World background. I feel it myself.

You know, a Pakistani American walks by and I say, "My folks are from Lebanon." And we begin to chat with each other. It's not unlike identifying yourself as a European of some sort.
(end quote)