Voters who support Kamala Harris and Donald Trump disagree on most issues, but not everything, recent surveys show.
Key Takeaways:
- The Pew Research Center surveyed about 4,500 registered voters about their political values.
- For the most part, Trump supporters and Harris supporters differed widely in their responses.
- But majorities of both groups agreed on the importance of Social Security, the need to maintain America’s military dominance, and the separation of church and state.
Church and State
Although Harris and Trump’s supporters largely differed on many cultural issues in the U.S., the involvement of religion in U.S. politics drew disagreement from both sides, with 87% of Harris supporters and 55% of Trump supporters saying that “religion should be kept separate from government policies.”
Both politicians have cited religion in their public remarks, though they have taken different approaches.
Harris has talked about religion regarding reproductive rights, saying “One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held religious beliefs to agree that a woman should have the ability to make decisions about her own body.”
Trump has been vocal about protecting religion, in particular Christianity, from what he says is an attack on social justice efforts. “They want to tear down crosses where they can, and cover them up with social justice flags,” Trump said. “But no one will be touching the cross of Christ under the Trump administration.”
Social Security
In terms of the survey respondents’ views on the government, both Democrats and Republicans believed that “Social Security should NOT be reduced in any way,” with 83% of Harris supporters and 77% of Trump supporters agreeing with this statement.
These bipartisan views on Social Security match what both candidates have recently said on this issue, with Harris in her vice presidential role saying on X that the Biden administration “will protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare.”
Similarly, in the platform section on his 2024 campaign website, Trump says he will “Fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age.” However, Trump’s position on Social Security in the past has been more critical, and at one point Trump called it a “huge Ponzi scheme.”
U.S. Role in Global Affairs
A majority of both Harris and Trump supporters agree on America’s role as a global military superpower. Of those surveyed, 76% of Trump supporters and 55% of Harris supporters agreed that “U.S. policies should try to keep it so America is the only military superpower.”
Trump himself took an “America First” approach to foreign policy during his presidency, during which he threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO and withdraw the U.S. from various international alliances and agreements.
Harris has yet to reveal her full foreign policy agenda, but in her acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination, she said that America should be “steadfast in advancing our security and values abroad,” and that as president she would “ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world.”
Leave a Reply