Rich elites think that we have too much personal freedom, they also trust government

Scott Rasmussen conducted online surveys of 1,000 members of the elite. These are individuals with postgraduate degrees, earn more than $150,000 a year, and live in a zip code with more than 10,000 people per square mile. The results indicate that this group of people lean further to the left than the public. They are also disconnected from the public.

These elites feel that there is too much individual freedom, they favor rationing to “fight climate change,” they assign high favorability to the talking professions (lawyers, union leaders, journalists, congressmembers), they gave Joe Biden an 84% approval rating, they trust the teachers, rather than the parents, when it comes to what children should learn, they favor banning types of cars and household appliances, and they trust the government to do the right thing most of the time.

From the Committee to Unleash Prosperity:

The survey is a first-of-its-kind look at the views of the American Elite — defined as people having at least one post-graduate degree, earning at least $150,000 annually, and living in high-population density areas (more than 10,000 people per square mile in their zip code) — and compares them to what the average American thinks. The Elites represent 1% of the U.S. population but have an outsized voice on public policy in the United States, with their views seeming somehow to dominate the national conversation.

This may be because it is the Elites themselves who determine what that conversation will be about on campus, in the legacy media, and corporate board rooms. Not surprisingly, these people talk about politics far more than most Americans. The data show that nearly a third of them (30%) talk about politics daily or almost every day. Just 9% of the voting public do. It is worth noting that members of the Elites who talk about politics daily have views that are even further removed from the opinions of the voting public.

This is true even when the Elites self-identify as Republicans. They typically may be more conservative than Elite Democrats but they still have attitudes and opinions that are far removed from those of the typical American voter. The Elite class — regardless of party — is an exclusive club that sees and experiences America through a different lens than ordinary Americans.

These results confirm what people have long suspected: today, there are two Americas. One is wealthier, more highly educated, and attended the best schools. They put much more trust in big government “to do the right thing” and, by their own admission, benefit from more expansive government policies. They have also been hurt far less by the high inflation of the Biden presidency than those who live from paycheck to paycheck and are in the lower and middle classes.

This Grand Canyon-sized chasm between where every day Americans stand on the state of the country, expanding government power, draconian climate change solutions, and Joe Biden’s job performance may partly explain the Donald Trump phenomenon and his high approval ratings among working-class voters, who feel wholly connected with the rebellion against the arrogance of the ruling class Elites.

The Committee to Unleash Prosperity provides the report, including results graphics, at this link.

Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", Democrats, Government Incompetence, Society