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POLL: Country is Divided and Americans Blame Politicians, Media, and Big Tech

• Americans Are Having Tough Conversations But Outcome Varies by Ideology and Age

• 73% of Americans Believe Biblical Values Are Important to a Healthy American Society But Divide Between Millennials and Older Adults

(Manitou Springs, CO—August 16th, 2021) Summit.org, in partnership with McLaughlin & Associates—one of America’s most respected polling survey firms—is releasing the results of a new national survey. Results were from a survey of 1,000 general election voters nationwide and was conducted July 29th through August 2nd.

“These findings confirm what many Americans have been sensing for a while now, that politicians and the media are using their platforms to deepen political and cultural divides and move our nation closer to tribalism,” said Dr. Jeff Myers of Summit Ministries. “But the good news is that we are still talking to each other and having conversations about topics on which we disagree. Plus, the vast majority still respects the Biblical values that make this the greatest place on earth to live. We have our challenges, but the American instinct for civil discourse seems to be alive and well.”

All interviews were conducted online; survey invitations were distributed randomly within predetermined geographic units. These units were structured to correlate with actual voter turnout in the general election. This poll of 1,000 general election voters has an accuracy of +/- 3.1% at a 95% confidence interval. KEY INSIGHT: Americans Hold Politicians, Big Tech and Media Most Responsible for Political Divide in Country

• 58% of American voters say political leaders are most responsible for the political divide in the country.
• 53% of American voters say the news media is also responsible for the political divide in the country.
• 44% of American voters include social media as being responsible for the political divide in the country.
• Self-identified liberal voters(35%) are more than twice as likely as conservative voters (14%) to also blame the American people.

KEY INSIGHT: Americans are Having Tough Conversations About Disagreements

• 75% of American voters reported having personal conversations about political or cultural issues with someone they disagree with:
  • 40% of American voters say they’ve had a personal conversation about political or cultural issues with someone they disagree with in the past week.
  • 22% of American voters say they’ve had a personal conversation about political or cultural issues with someone they disagree with in the past month.
  • 13% of American voters say they’ve had a personal conversation about political or cultural issues with someone they disagree with in the past year.
• 4% of American voters say it’s been longer than a year since they had a personal conversation about political or cultural issues with someone they disagree with.
• 21% of Americans are unsure when they last had a personal conversation about political or cultural issues with someone they disagree with.

KEY INSIGHT: How Americans Respond to Someone They Disagree With Varies by Age and Ideology

• Self-identified liberals are 2x as likely as conservatives to have a negative reaction to someone they disagree with—14% of liberals say they ignore someone they disagree with, compared to 7% of conservatives. 4% of liberals say they will cut someone out of their life that they disagree with, compared to 2% of conservatives.
• Millennials are 3x more likely than older adults to respond negatively to disagreements—6% of Americans under 40 say they will cut someone out of their life that they disagree with, compared to 2% of Americans over 40.

KEY INSIGHT: Overwhelming Majority of Americans Believe Biblical Values Important to American Society

• 73% of Americans believe the values found in the Bible are important to a healthy American society—50% say very important, while 23% say somewhat important.
• 21% of Americans believe the values found in the Bible are not important to a healthy American society—10% say not very important, while 11% say not important at all.

KEY INSIGHT: African Americans Are Demographic Most Likely to Say Biblical Values Important to Healthy American Society, Millenials Less Likely to Believe Biblical Values Are Important

• 82% of African Americans believe the values found in the Bible are important to a healthy American society, compared to 74% of White Americans, 64% of Asian Americans, and 60% of Hispanic Americans.
• 34% of Americans under 40 believe the values found in the Bible are not important to a healthy American society, compared to 15% of Americans over 40.