Disaffected Democrats

This majority-minority group mostly identifies as Democratic or leans toward the Democratic Party. Disaffected Democrats strongly believe the economic system unfairly favors powerful interests and that business corporations make too much profit. Relatively few believe their family has achieved the American Dream, and 24% believe it is out of reach for their family. Most say the government should do more to help the needy and that poor people have hard lives because government benefits do not go far enough to help them live decently. In contrast to other Democratic-oriented groups, a majority (63%) characterizes government as “almost always wasteful and inefficient.”

Devout & Diverse

This racially and ethnically diverse group is less politically homogenous than most other typology groups, though a 59% majority associates with the Democratic Party. Devout and Diverse voice strong support for the social safety net and further action on racial equality. However, they take more conservative views than their fellow Democratic-leaning groups on a number of issues including global engagement, views of business and attitudes on homosexuality and immigrants. Devout and Diverse are defined, in part, by their faith: Most say that it is necessary to believe in God in order to be moral and have good values.

Market Skeptic Republicans

Critical of many major institutions and government, Market Skeptic Republicans mostly identify with, or lean toward, the GOP. They stand out from other Republican-oriented groups in their negative views of the economic system: An overwhelming majority say it “unfairly favors powerful interests.” Most also say businesses make too much profit, and they are the most likely Republican-leaning group to want to raise taxes on corporations (55%). They are similar to other GOP-leaning groups in their skepticism about the social safety net.

Country First Conservative

This largely Republican group is highly critical of immigration and U.S. global involvement. Country First Conservatives are most likely to describe immigrants as a burden on the country and to say that too much openness threatens American identity. More than any other group, they say that America should act in its own interest even when its foreign allies disagree. Like Core Conservatives, they prefer a smaller government with fewer services, and most think that government is wasteful and inefficient. Country First Conservatives are conservative on social issues and are the only typology group in which a majority says homosexuality should be discouraged by society.