Whys and wtf!!s of GOP politics are difficult to understand partly because they are all over the place. There seem to be so many Venn intersections in looking at different groups within the GOP that even Elmer Fudd would go cross-eyed looking at them. This Pew analysis will either help, or confuse more:
"Soft Corruption and the Limits of Populism Sept. 25, 2023 [...]As I write this, McCarthy is reportedly trying to appease MAGA dissidents with a temporary funding bill that would cut nonmilitary discretionary spending outside of Veterans Affairs by 27 percent — meaning savage cuts to things like the administration of Social Security (as opposed to the benefits themselves). P - The thing is, such proposals are deeply unpopular. It’s true that Americans tell pollsters that the government spends too much, but if you ask them about specific types of spending, the only area on which they say we spend too much is foreign aid, which is a trivial part of the budget. Oh, and most Americans still support aid to Ukraine. P - So there would seem to be an opening for politicians who are right wing on social issues like immigration and wokeness but are also genuinely populist in their spending priorities."
1. The Republican coalition
The Republican-aligned groups in the political typology are united by shared preferences for a smaller role for the federal government, a strong U.S. military and a rejection of the view that the country needs to do a great deal more to address racial inequities. But when it comes to several other issue areas – particularly views of economic fairness, immigration and foreign policy – there are stark differences between several groups under the GOP umbrella.
Although GOP-oriented groups generally are united in placing importance on securing U.S. borders, groups within the coalition hold starkly different views about the extent to which illegal immigration is a problem in the country, as well as over the nation’s approach to legal immigration.
And there is a cleavage in the coalition around views of the economic system itself: Two typology groups who both hold highly restrictive views about immigration – Faith and Flag Conservatives and Populist Right – differ over corporate power, economic inequality and taxation of large businesses and wealthy individuals.
Ambivalent Right, the youngest GOP-oriented group, diverge from other groups in the coalition in both their weak attachment to the party and their more moderate views on social issues like same-sex marriage, abortion and marijuana legalization. At the same time, Faith and Flag Conservatives, one of the oldest segments of the party coalition, are characterized by a strong Christian affiliation, extremely conservative social views and a view that government policies should bolster religious values and beliefs.
Still, GOP-oriented groups are more united than divided over issues related to race and gender: For example, majorities across the Republican coalition say that the country has made a lot of progress on addressing racial and ethnic inequality over the last 50 years and that, looking forward, little or nothing more needs to be done. Similarly, most reject the contention that White people in America benefit from societal advantages that Black people do not have. In the same vein, majorities across GOP-oriented groups say that “people too easily taking offense to things others say” is a major problem for the country, while far fewer think that “people saying things that are very offensive to others” is a major problem.
The most deeply conservative group in the political typology – Faith and Flag Conservatives– make up 23% of Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party, making them one of the two largest groups in the GOP coalition. Conservative across the board, they are one of the most politically engaged typology groups. Fully 88% of Faith and Flag Conservatives say their political views are conservative, including 35% who describe themselves as “very conservative.” They are overwhelmingly White and Christian and stand out for their views on the role of religion in public life. They are among Donald Trump’s strongest supporters – both while he was in office and today. Most say Trump definitely or probably is the legitimate winner of the 2020 election, despite official counts showing that Joe Biden was the legitimate winner. And 79% say there has been too much attention paid to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Committed Conservatives are one of the two smallest groups in the political typology; they constitute 15% of Republicans and Republican leaners. They are loyal Republicans with pro-business views and are staunch advocates of limited government; most (73%) identify as conservative. However, they differ from Faith and Flag Conservatives and Populist Right in prioritizing U.S. relationships with allies in foreign policy and in taking a less restrictive approach to immigration. While they hold positive views of Trump and nearly all voted for him in 2020, they are not nearly as enthusiastic about the former president as the two other conservative groups. And when asked to name the best president of the last 40 years, they are much more likely to say Ronald Reagan than any of his successors.
Populist Right – 23% of Republicans and Republican leaners – are one of the two largest groups in the GOP coalition, along with Faith and Flag Conservatives. They also are deeply conservative and reliably vote Republican. Yet they differ from Committed Conservative on two key dimensions: They hold hard-line immigration views and are highly critical of the economic system. They are the sole Republican-oriented group in which majorities say the economic system in the country unfairly favors powerful interests, that businesses in this country make too much profit and that taxes on household income over $400,000 should be raised. Like Faith and Flag Conservatives, Populist Right strongly support Trump, and most (81%) would like him to remain a prominent political figure, including 57% who say he should run for president in 2024.
The other Republican-oriented group in the political typology – Ambivalent Right – also are the only GOP coalition group in which most do not identify as politically conservative. With their combination of political values, they are cross-pressured politically: While they hold nearly down-the-line conservative views about the size of government and the economic system and lean more right than left on issues of race and gender, they are far more moderate on immigration and on social issues like abortion, same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization. Chart shows most Ambivalent Right say they usually feel like no political candidates represent their views well
Reflecting this cross pressure, a quarter of Ambivalent Right identify as Democrats or Democratic leaners. Still, Ambivalent Right make up 18% of all Republicans and Republican leaners. They are considerably younger than those in other GOP-oriented groups and less politically engaged. They are much less likely than other groups in the coalition to say the Republican Party represents them well or to feel like they have options to vote for political candidates who represent their views. And, unlike those in other GOP-oriented groups, they have more negative than positive feelings about Trump, with 63% saying they would prefer he not remain a major national political figure.
Stressed Sideliners, despite not having a clear partisan tilt, make up small but significant shares of both the Republican and Democratic coalitions (15% of Republicans and Republican leaners, 13% of Democrats and Democratic leaners). This group is financially stressed and relatively unengaged with politics.
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Areas of general agreement within the Republican coalition
Two-thirds or more of those in all four Republican-oriented groups share a belief that government is doing too many things that would be better left to individuals and the private sector, and there is a widespread belief that individuals are responsible for their own success.
The GOP coalition also generally shares an outlook that historical obstacles faced by women and people who are not White are now largely gone: At least six-in-ten across all GOP-aligned groups say that obstacles that once made it harder for women than men to get ahead are now largely gone, and comparably large majorities say that the country has made a lot of progress over the past 50 years in ensuring equal rights for all Americans regardless of race and ethnicity.
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Political values and issues: Where there are divides in the GOP coalition
There are a number of issues that divide Republican-oriented groups in the political typology, and different sets of issues split the GOP coalition in different ways.
On abortion and same-sex marriage, for example, Faith and Flag Conservatives express highly conservative views, while Ambivalent Right stand out for their more moderate opinions. On both issues, the attitudes of Committed Conservatives and Populist Right fall between these two groups. A similar pattern is evident in support for expanding exploration and production of fossil fuels: Faith and Flag Conservatives are more than 40 percentage points more likely than Ambivalent Right to favor this, with the other groups in between.
When it comes to the influence of religion on government policy, Faith and Flag Conservatives stand alone: They are the only group in which a majority (75%) says government policies should support religious values and beliefs. Fewer than a third in other Republican groups say the same.
As noted, Populist Right are deeply skeptical of corporations. In fact, just 17% say corporations make a fair and reasonable profit; that compares with 70% or more of the other GOP-aligned groups. In views of U.S. relations with its allies, majorities of Committed Conservatives and Ambivalent Right say the U.S. should heed allied interests even if it means compromising with them. Much smaller shares of Faith and Flag Conservatives and Populist Right express this view.
The Republican-oriented groups: Voting and views of the presidents
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