The Pew Research people have been tracking social trends for a couple of decades, and the latest installment suggests that social conservatism ("family values", prayer in schools, and all that stuff) is on the decline, while liberal attitudes (helping poor, etc.) are making a resurgence.
Not surprisingly, more and more people nationwide consider themselves Democrat, or Dem-leaning:
You should click through and read the whole thing. It’s very encouraging.
Some other findings:
Americans are worried more that businesses rather than government are snooping into their lives. About three-in-four (74%) say they are concerned that business corporations are collecting too much personal information while 58% express the same concern about the government.
The public is losing confidence in itself. A dwindling majority (57%) say they have a good deal of confidence in the wisdom of the American people when it comes to making political decisions. Similarly, the proportion who agrees that Americans "can always find a way to solve our problems" has dropped 16 points in the past five years.
Americans feel increasingly estranged from their government. Barely a third (34%) agree with the statement, "most elected officials care what people like me think," nearly matching the 20-year low of 33% recorded in 1994 and a 10-point drop since 2002.
Young people continue to hold a more favorable view of government than do other Americans. At the same time, young adults express the least interest in voting and other forms of political participation.
Interpersonal racial attitudes continue to moderate. More than eight-in-ten (83%) agree that "it’s all right for blacks and whites to date," up six percentage points since 2003 and 13 points from a Pew survey conducted 10 years ago.
Republicans are increasingly divided over the cultural impact of immigrants. Nearly seven-in-ten (68%) conservative Republicans say immigrants threaten American customs, compared with 43% of GOP moderates and liberals. Democrats have long been divided along ideological lines, but the GOP previously had not been.
