Already, there are couches , coconuts , and a sitting president dropping his reelection bid. But when it comes to the policy issues, there are a few where Americans are somewhat united — and a slew where they couldn't agree less.
Business Insider took a look at where Americans fall on key issues. To do so, we used polling from the General Social Survey run by NORC (previously known as the National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago, Pew Research Center , and Gallup . The GSS has asked self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and independents about their opinions on a wide swath of issues about every two years since the late 1970s, with the most recently released data from 2022. Gallup and Pew also regularly ask about the hottest issues of the day, and we've included more recent results from those pollsters. Here's how Americans feel about abortion, same-sex marriage, and more.
A majority of Democrats and independents believe women should be able to get an abortion for any reason
Democratic support for abortion for any reason has skyrocketed since 2016, and particularly after Roe v. Wade was overturned . Similarly, independents' support has passed into a solid majority, and over a quarter of Republicans agree.
Abortion is a particularly resonant issue for voters this election cycle, with Democrats on the offense against Republicans in the wake of new GOP-led state restrictions on the procedure. Even former President Donald Trump has admitted that the issue has cost Republican politicians elections in the past.
But Americans are united in believing that the country spends too little on childcare
One issue where Americans agree: The country isn't pouring enough money into childcare. Childcare costs in the US are often inhibitive for American families , and the country still does not guarantee paid parental leave.
Most Republicans and independents think the US spends too little on law enforcement
Republicans and independents are united in believing that the country spends too little on law enforcement, and over a third of Democrats concur. That sentiment dipped in 2020 and 2021 for Democrats and independents — which could be in response to national outrage and widespread protest over police brutality — but has mostly rebounded.
There’s fairly broad support for gay marriage, although still not majority support among Republicans
One issue that's seen basically ever-increasing support is gay marriage. The vast majority of Democrats are on board, with support nearly doubling over the last 20 years. Nearly half of Republicans are on board, also a far cry from the 14.1% in 2004.
Americans have mixed feelings about affirmative action, but Democrats support DEI
On the whole, a majority of Democrats, independents, and Republicans don't support or strongly support affirmative action — but support has ticked up a bit over the past few years. The Supreme Court has already struck down affirmative action in college admissions, prompting some Democrats to propose banning legacy admissions .
However, Americans seem to feel more positive about DEI in the workplace, according to a Pew poll; most Democrats and Democrat-leaners say it's a good thing, and just under a third of Republicans and Republican-leaners agree.
Americans broadly support the ability to protest against government actions
Democrats, Republicans, and independents agree: Americans should be allowed to organize protest marches and demonstrations against government actions. While a strong majority of each group supports the ability to protest, that sentiment has been plummeting among Republicans, falling nearly 10% from 2006.
Democrats and independents think marijuana should be legal
Attitudes on legalizing marijuana have shifted substantially from the 1990s, when Republicans, Democrats, and independents were fairly united in believing the drug should not be legal. Support has particularly skyrocketed among Democrats, and over a third of Republicans agree marijuana should be legal.
Most Democrats favor gun permits, but the parties used to be more united
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the various political factions were fairly unified when it came to favoring a law mandating people to obtain police permits before they could buy a gun. However, support has since plummeted among Republicans while holding strong — and then slightly dipping — among Democrats.
In more recent years, though, Republicans, Democrats, and independents have all seen upticks in support; that support comes after the country passed landmark bipartisan gun legislation following a spate of mass shootings.
Across the board, Americans disagree that men are better suited for politics than women
With the chance that Vice President Kamala Harris could win the presidency in November, Americans across the political spectrum disagree that men are better suited for politics than women. That's a reversal from sentiments among Democrats and Republicans in the 1970s; independents have consistently disagreed.
Americans really don’t have confidence in Congress
Americans of all stripes are very united on one topic: They don't have a great deal of confidence in Congress. That's been true for decades but has particularly plummeted over the last 10 years or so.
Americans don’t think the US spends too much on mass transportation
Across the political spectrum, Americans don't think the country is spending too much on mass transportation. That sentiment has been shared for decades, although Democrats have become even more adamant in believing spending is too little in the last 20 or so years.
Support for spending more on solar and wind power has plummeted among Republicans
Over the last few years, support among Democrats and Republicans for spending more on solar and wind power has dipped; a majority of Democrats still support spending more on both, but a touch under half of Republicans now support spending more on wind power. However, while voters are concerned about climate, it's often not a top issue for them .
Only Democrats support increasing immigration more than decreasing immigration
On the whole, Democrats are the only political faction that reports net support for increasing immigration — that means that more Democrats favor increasing immigration rather than decreasing immigration. But that's still only a threshold that Democrats crossed about a decade ago. For a brief period from 2020 to 2021, independents had net support for increasing immigration, but that has since plummeted.
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