6 key issues unite Americans despite political divisions: Post-election survey

By Brandon Showalter, Opinion writer and social commentator Saturday, January 23, 2021

A supermajority of Americans are united in wanting to see changes to six key issues affecting the nation and their daily lives — whether they voted for President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump — a new survey from researcher George Barna reveals.

Released Tuesday, the Arizona Christian University-based Cultural Research Center found in a post-election survey that despite profound divisions in the country, over two-thirds of Republican voters and two-thirds of Democrat voters support the same policies, which could move the nation toward greater unity.

These issues include supporting school choice, restoring the nation's infrastructure, bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S., making Social Security and Medicare financially solvent, reducing federal debt, and lowering federal income taxes.

Nearly three-fourths of Americans — 75% of Trump voters and 72% of Biden voters — want parents to have more say in the education of their children, desiring greater school choice.

Over 80% of Americans surveyed back heavy investment in restoring infrastructure, 83% of Trump voters and 84% of Biden voters.

Another issue bringing Americans together is increasing manufacturing jobs domestically, with 87% of Trump supporters and 84% of Biden supporters favoring policies geared toward that goal.

Pursuing such mutually shared policy outcomes "could begin the process of rallying Americans around the things on which they agree, rather than further dividing the nation on the basis of divergent and ideologically irreconcilable points of view," Barna said.

The CRC survey found that making Social Security and Medicare financially solvent and reducing the federal government's debt are also supported on a broad bipartisan basis. The research also found that 73% of respondents desire a decrease in their federal income taxes, with 79% of Trump voters and 72% of Biden supporters backing such a move.

The study's findings were based on a demographically balanced national survey of 1,000 adults. The results were collected online from a nationwide panel of adults following the November election.

In addition to the six major policies that have overwhelming support both from Trump and Biden voters, the CRC research found that four other issues enjoy support from a majority of Trump and Biden voters, though a significant gap exists between the percentages in the two groups.

Some 87% of Biden voters and 62% of Trump voters support reducing racial discrimination through legal means. Additionally, 85% of those who backed Biden and 53% of Trump voters support developing more stringent environmental standards.

Regarding immigration, 84% of Trump voters and 54% of Biden voters report wanting strict enforcement of existing immigration laws. Seventy-four percent of Trump voters and 58% of Biden voters also support substantially reducing federal regulations.

"The research clearly shows that these are the policies that an overwhelming number of Americans, regardless of political party, want,” Barna added.

“There is a clear path to unity and healing in these common-ground issues.”

Founded in 2020, the Cultural Research Center conducts research studies to understand the intersection of faith and culture to transform American culture with biblical truth.