Is Arizona Liberal or Conservative? (Phoenix, Flagstaff: living, buses, transit)

[Arizona Mike]

Per a new Gallup Poll, we are...equally conservative and moderate . The same # of conservatives (36.1%) as moderates (36.1%) with liberals at 22.3%. So, a 13.8% advantage to conservatives over liberals.

"Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana are the most right-leaning states in the union, with between 46% and 49% of residents in each identifying as politically conservative. Massachusetts, Vermont and Hawaii are the most left-leaning, with 30% of residents in each of those states identifying as liberal.

"Delaware has the highest percentage of moderates of any state in the union, at 44%. The higher percentage of moderates in a given state does not necessarily mean that the state is a swing state politically. Despite the high percentages of residents choosing the moderate label, in many of these states, the remainder of the residents skew significantly conservative or liberal. For example, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Jersey are all high on both the moderate and the liberal list, meaning that residents in these states eschew the conservative label while being more likely than average to identify with the other two categories. The same phenomenon occurs with states such as North Dakota and Wyoming, where residents are well above average in choosing either the moderate or conservative label, while avoiding the liberal label."

Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana Most Conservative States

[goolsbyjazz]

Day to day living is more libertarian, I'm my opinion.

[WriterDude]

I'd rather that they had identified a set of political questions and placed people on a spectrum based on their answers. Asking people to self-describe as "liberal," "conservative," or "moderate" creates a lot of confounding factors.

[ajonesaz]

Originally Posted by goolsbyjazz

Day to day living is more libertarian, I'm my opinion.

That's how I always describe it. Our biggest issue here is our apathetic voter base.

[Leaving Arizona]

My husband always says that Maricopa County is "so red." Ha! He didn't live in the heyday when it - especially the east valley - was bright scarlet. I'd say it's more maroon - and somewhat red-violet in places - and darkening every year.

I think voter apathy is tied to how transitional the population is, and it's a chronic problem. I was the rare one who'd lived in the valley all my life and I - and those like me who stayed to raise their families there - always voted, usually the youngest person at the time at the polls.

[PhxMan500]

I am sure if there was an option for "Socially Liberal, Fiscally Conservative," the response would exceed 50% in AZ. The terms themselves are so skewed by interpretation, comparisons to the views in one's social network, and biased media.

[WriterDude]

Originally Posted by PhxMan500

I am sure if there was an option for "Socially Liberal, Fiscally Conservative," the response would exceed 50% in AZ. The terms themselves are so skewed by interpretation, comparisons to the views in one's social network, and biased media.

Great point. Imagine if the survey was built with real questions and real metrics. Although there's always a question with what things mean.

For example, most libertarians would say that regulations and abuses of power mean government has too much influence on people's lives, and that's a bad thing. (The solution is to reduce government influence.)

Most progressives would say that inequalities and social justice issues indicate that government doesn't have enough influence on people's lives, and that's a bad thing. (The solution is to increase government influence to address those issues.)

So both parties might say that government needs to change, but that change would take very different forms.

Gross generalizations are seldom completely accurate. Plus, in Arizona, you can change your political landscape quite a lot just by driving from Phoenix to Flagstaff. :-)

[ajonesaz]

Originally Posted by PhxMan500

I am sure if there was an option for "Socially Liberal, Fiscally Conservative," the response would exceed 50% in AZ. The terms themselves are so skewed by interpretation, comparisons to the views in one's social network, and biased media.

Not just Arizona! I think that would be good for our country!

[lewdog_5]

Originally Posted by PhxMan500

I am sure if there was an option for "Socially Liberal, Fiscally Conservative," the response would exceed 50% in AZ. The terms themselves are so skewed by interpretation, comparisons to the views in one's social network, and biased media.

That sounds fine and dandy but on the opposite side of the coin does anyone really call themselves "fiscally liberal?"

[grassfeeder]

Originally Posted by lewdog_5

That sounds fine and dandy but on the opposite side of the coin does anyone really call themselves "fiscally liberal?"

I am....I can't seem to stop spending money! Too many toys out there....