Disunited States

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The US presidential election of November 2016 was one of the biggest political events of the 21st century, sending shockwaves through the western world. Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House has laid bare deep divisions in the United States of America, leading policy-makers and the media to question long-held assumptions and address the filter bubble of the coastal elites.

The clouds have parted to reveal clear boundaries between two groups in the country – and a new study has found that this split is not based on race,  age,  income or geography, but is socially attitudinal. 

An online survey of 4, 300 Americans, conducted by Foresight Factory, asked respondents – on a ‘strongly agree’ to ‘strongly disagree’ scale – what they thought of the statement ‘I have a liberal outlook on society’. 

The data analysis focused on social liberals and conservatives, rather than Democrat and Republican voters, because having a conservative or liberal outlook is beyond party affiliation. For ...