Social conservatism is on the rise in the United States, according to a new poll, but one unexpected group is moving away from the political philosophy.
On Thursday, Gallup released the findings of its annual Values and Belief survey, revealing that 38 percent of Americans say they are very conservative or conservative on social issues—the highest number since 2012.
But while most age groups have grown more socially conservative in recent years, the 2023 survey recorded a dip in the number of Americans aged 65 and older who describe themselves as socially conservative.
Forty-two percent of Americans aged 65 and older identified as socially conservative this year, compared to 44 percent in 2022 and 43 percent in 2021.
The results appear to defy conventional wisdom about demographic groups and conservatism.
The Gallup poll, conducted between May 1 and 24, found that a rising number of voters aged 18 to 29 were identifying as socially conservative, following the broader national trend.
In this year's poll, 30 percent of that group described themselves as conservative on social issues, compared to 26 percent in 2022 and 24 percent in 2021.
The age group reporting the largest percentage change was 30 to 49-year-olds, with a 13-point increase between 2021 (22 percent) and 2023 (35 percent).
Gallup senior editor Jeff Jones told Newsweek that although there was a slight decrease among older voters, the change does not represent a "meaningful decline."
"Older Americans are still considerably more likely to identify as social conservatives than younger Americans—under age 50—even with increases among the younger groups," Jones said.
Polls typically find that younger voters are more likely to favor progressive policies than older generations.
A December study from FiveThirtyEight showed that 58 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds favor reparations for descendants of enslaved people, compared to 21 percent of those 60 and older. The same analysis found that 47 percent of voters aged 18 to 34 believe abortion should be legal under any circumstances, compared to 25 percent of those 55 and older.
Gallup's research also found that the largest increase in social conservatism was among Republicans—74 percent this year compared to 60 percent in 2021. There was a modest uptick among independents, 24 percent to 29 percent, but no change among Democrats, of whom 10 percent identified as being conservative on social issues.
Jones attributed much of the national shift to the sizable change among Republicans, who have become more conservative as American politics has become entrenched in debates over transgender rights, critical race theory and abortion.
"For most of the past eight years, Americans were about as likely to say they were liberal as conservative on social issues," Jones wrote. "This year, there is a more obvious conservative advantage."
He added that the trend towards greater social conservatism could be why many Republican-led states have been able to pass legislation that tightens restrictions on these issues.
This year alone, 17 states have enacted bans or significant restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors. Last summer's Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade also resulted in dozens of abortion bans across the country. As of Monday, most abortions are banned in 14 states.
The Gallup survey interviewed a random sample of 1,011 people living across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The margin of error was +/-5 percentage points.
06/08/23 12:50 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from Jeff Jones of Gallup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
