Divide among elites and rest of country widening ahead of 2024 election

[Vambram]

'Them vs. US': Divide among elites and rest of country widening ahead of 2024 election: Rasmussen

A report on the findings posits that the an elite group of Americans with "extraordinary political and societal power, have views and attitudes that are wildly out of touch with the American people."

justthenews.com

The divide between the country’s "elite" and the rest of America is growing and it will have a substantial impact on the 2024 elections, according to a survey conducted by Scott Rasmussen and RMG Research, Inc.
The survey also found the most highly educated voters with advanced degrees are liberal-leaning and their policy positions are at odds with the rest of the electorate, which Rasmussen and conservative economist Steve Moore said during a briefing about the results on Friday.
There were 1,000 members of the "elite" interviewed September 11-26, 2023, and September 14-29 of 2023 for the survey.
The poll defined elites as "those having a postgraduate degree, a household income of more than $150,000 annually, and living in a zip code with more than 10,000 people per square mile. Approximately 1% of the total U.S. population meets these criteria."
Among the 1,000 elites surveyed, 73% of the elites were Democrats, and 14% were Republicans. The study also examined adults who attended either Ivy League colleges or "elite private schools, including Northwestern, Duke, Stanford, and the University of Chicago."
Also, roughly half of those classified as "elites" attended one of those schools, according to the Committee to Unleash Prosperity's report on the findings released on Friday, titled, "Them vs. U.S."
Comparison results for registered voters came from "independent surveys of 1,000 registered voters, each conducted between May and September 2023."

Them vs. Us Rasmussen Study Final.pdf
The survey asked the respondents if their personal finances were "getting better or worse these days."

"Only about 20% of all Americans say they believe their finances are getting better now. But among the Elite, that number more than triples to 74% who say they are better off," the report says. The survey found a similar divide when it came to individual freedom.

I'm aware that not everyone on these forums believes that Rasmussen does fair polling. However, I request that, before commenting on this topic, please read the entirety of the article. I have also included within the second set of quotes a .pdf link for the Rasmussen analysis of this poll.

 

[iluvatar5150]

'Them vs. US': Divide among elites and rest of country widening ahead of 2024 election: Rasmussen

A report on the findings posits that the an elite group of Americans with "extraordinary political and societal power, have views and attitudes that are wildly out of touch with the American people."

justthenews.com

I'm aware that not everyone on these forums believes that Rasmussen does fair polling. However, I request that, before commenting on this topic, please read the entirety of the article. I have also included within the second set of quotes a .pdf link for the Rasmussen analysis of this poll.

It doesn’t matter that the polling is fair if the whole premise of the poll is dumb. The notion that living in a city with an advanced degree and a household income of $150k/yr qualifies one as “elite” is laughable. $150k/yr is barely “upper middle class” on a national level and far less than that when talking about the most dense and some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country.

My wife and I make 50% over that, in an area that’s far less expensive than most of the high-density ones they polled, she has an advanced degree from an ivy and… our newest car is a 9yo Mazda, our house is smaller than either of our parents’, our furnace was installed during the Eisenhower administration, neither of us have supervisory responsibilities at our jobs, and the closest either of us have gotten to political power is her being on the board of the neighborhood association.

Does that sound “elite” to anybody? Because it doesn’t feel very elite.

What they polled were not “elites,” but educated urbanites. Shockingly, they’re mostly liberals.

 

[Vambram]

It doesn’t matter that the polling is fair if the whole premise of the poll is dumb. The notion that living in a city with an advanced degree and a household income of $150k/yr qualifies one as “elite” is laughable. $150k/yr is barely “upper middle class” on a national level and far less than that when talking about the most dense and some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country.

My wife and I make 50% over that, in an area that’s far less expensive than most of the high-density ones they polled, she has an advanced degree from an ivy and… our newest car is a 9yo Mazda, our house is smaller than either of our parents’, our furnace was installed during the Eisenhower administration, neither of us have supervisory responsibilities at our jobs, and the closest either of us have gotten to political power is her being on the board of the neighborhood association.

Does that sound “elite” to anybody? Because it doesn’t feel very elite.

What they polled were not “elites,” but educated urbanites. Shockingly, they’re mostly liberals.

With the amount of income that you and your wife make combined, you would be considered having an "elite" income if you were living in my neck of the woods in central Missouri just off of I-44. However, I can sympathize some about your newest car. My newest car is a 2011 Chrysler whereas my wife is the proud owner of a 2022 Jeep. By the way, my income is in the $50k to $60k per year range.

 

[iluvatar5150]

By the way, my income is in the $50k to $60k per year range.

That’s you individually (I assume). If your spouse made that much, your household income (which is what the poll used) would be $100k-120k, which is not far off their threshold.

I highly doubt we’d be “elite” anywhere. We’d probably save a bit on our mortgage in your area, but not a ton. And nothing else is any cheaper in LCOL areas. Extra money up to our level just means that you can afford daycare and fixing stuff when it breaks. I won’t downplay the significance of reduced stress that comes with that, but there’s a huge difference between not sweating $700 for a new washing machine and wielding influence in society.

 

[Vambram]

That’s you individually (I assume). If your spouse made that much, your household income (which is what the poll used) would be $100k-120k, which is not far off their threshold.

I am the only income earner in my house.

 

[iluvatar5150]

I am the only income earner in my house.

Would you feel “elite” if your wife got a job like yours? Is that what would unlock for you the wood paneled back rooms where you could drink brandy and smoke cigars with other power brokers? Of course not.

 

[Vambram]

Would you feel “elite” if your wife got a job like yours? Is that what would unlock for you the wood paneled back rooms where you could drink brandy and smoke cigars with other power brokers? Of course not.

I don't smoke tobacco or anything else. Neither do I drink alcohol. My wife chooses not to work because we do not need her to earn additional income. But, let us not quibble about income levels as to whether or not people are in the so-called "elite" status. What I found the most interesting in the OP article which I posted is the different sets of beliefs and responses to the questions of the survey.

 

[rambot]

This is old news....
I love posting this video. It's my favourite thing

I would note that this video is 11 years old and it is likely the extreme ended are having exaggerated effects.

 

[wing2000]

The poll defined elites as "those having a postgraduate degree, a household income of more than $150,000 annually, and living in a zip code with more than 10,000 people per square mile. Approximately 1% of the total U.S. population meets these criteria."

A household income of $150,000 and living in a city qualifies a household as "elite"? Who are they kidding?
And why did they use a percentage of the total US population (instead of households)?

If you want to understand who is the elite in this country, follow the money:

The top 1% holds $38.7 trillion in wealth. That’s more than the combined wealth of America’s middle class, a group many economists define as the middle 60% of households by income. Those households hold about 26% of all wealth.
Low-income Americans, representing the bottom 20% by income, own about 3% of the wealth.

The top 1% of American earners now own more wealth than the entire middle class

More than one-quarter of all household wealth, 26.5%, belongs to the super rich, and their wealth is growing.

www.usatoday.com

 

[evoeth]

"Living in a zip code with more than 10000 people per mile" is doing all the heavy-lifting in this definition of "elite."

A household income of 150k isnt even 60th income percentile anywhere near me which is 10,000 people per square mile.

'Them vs. US': Divide among elites and rest of country widening ahead of 2024 election: Rasmussen

A report on the findings posits that the an elite group of Americans with "extraordinary political and societal power, have views and attitudes that are wildly out of touch with the American people."

justthenews.com

I'm aware that not everyone on these forums believes that Rasmussen does fair polling. However, I request that, before commenting on this topic, please read the entirety of the article. I have also included within the second set of quotes a .pdf link for the Rasmussen analysis of this poll.

 

[Vambram]

I ask that we please do not focus too much upon what the survey takers deem as being wealthy, or in the "elite" status. Depending upon where a person lives, $150K can allow someone to live a "wealthy" lifestyle. But. what I found the most interesting in the OP article which I posted is the different sets of beliefs and responses to the questions of the survey.

 

[KCfromNC]

I ask that we please do not focus too much upon what the survey takers deem as being wealthy, or in the "elite" status. Depending upon where a person lives, $150K can allow someone to live a "wealthy" lifestyle. But. what I found the most interesting in the OP article which I posted is the different sets of beliefs and responses to the questions of the survey.

If the group deemed elite is actually just a placeholder for majority or large plurality of voters it means something totally different than if this a survey of the top 0.1% of earners. Seems that is a very important point to sort out - if nothing else, it will tell Fox News if lying about the economy is getting enough traction with enough voters to sway the upcoming election.

 

[evoeth]

If the group deemed elite is actually just a placeholder for majority or large plurality of voters it means something totally different than if this a survey of the top 0.1% of earners.

It is a placeholder for urban voters. Nothing else.

>150k doesn't actually filter anyone out when you're only looking above pop density of 10,000 per sq mile.

The real disconnect is that the typical rural/suburban person has only the faintest clue what the elite earn.

I have neighbors worth >$20m. I had lunch last week with a guy worth $10m. My mom's neighbors have a $4m house.

All these people are under 50 years old.

Our income is, surprisingly only 1/2 to a 1/3 of these households, but most of them have had a major buyout >$5m windfalls.

150k a year is table stakes for a young 20 something with roommates in the Bay Area.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I agree there's a divide... This thread actually is doing a lovely job of proving the poll too ...

 

[iluvatar5150]

I agree there's a divide... This thread actually is doing a lovely job of proving the poll too ...

The authors of the OP article are trying to exacerbate divisions by pitting rural and suburban folks against urbanites. The title of their report is literally "Them vs Us", with "Them" being defined as basically anybody who's middle class or above and lives in a city.

 

[evoeth]

I agree there's a divide... This thread actually is doing a lovely job of proving the poll too ...

In what way?
Most of my ownership-class neighbors are all conservative.
If you go to to rank-and-file tech workers or technocrats, mostly liberal.
But the idea that the elite, lever pullers in this country are mostly liberal? Crazy. The people who actually have a stake, are very mixed and lean conservative.
Go down the list of the 100 richest people in the US. It's not going to be majority liberal.

Same with the next 100k.

 

[rambot]

Also, stock buy backs are DEFINITELY enriching only the most rich among us.

Of course that money COULD be used to improve the conditions of employment for their employees and thereby shrink the growing divide between the have and those working for the haves.

But that won't happen.

 

[evoeth]

are DEFINITELY enriching only the most rich among us.

Of course that money COULD be used to improve the conditions of employment for their employees and thereby shrink the growing divide between the have and those working for the haves.

That sounds like an inherent problem in a system where officers of publicly traded companies have a legal obligation to increase shareholder value.
If only there were some other way.

 

[Hazelelponi]

The authors of the OP article are trying to exacerbate divisions by pitting rural and suburban folks against urbanites. The title of their report is literally "Them vs Us", with "Them" being defined as basically anybody who's middle class or above and lives in a city.

Just a heads up but your on my ignore list so I get no notification when you respond to me.

That said, I mentioned a few days ago on forum that I have a working theory that the concerns of rural and working class Americans are different than the concerns of people who live in major cities.

This poll simply seeks to say something quite similar.

You and I may never find a middle ground on some issues because our lives are quite different and we face completely different life challenges.

Other challenges I face you cannot understand because your income is so much higher than mine (grossly higher, not just slightly higher)

I think the poll shows what I was already saying. There's a divide in our concerns because there's a divide in the way we live. And instead of trying to understand the average American, your all writing us off as idiots who need you to make decisions for us as if we are idiot children.

 

[rambot]

I would also agree that the definition of 1% is pretty dumb.

Why include ONLY wages? Why no include all wealth? There's a reason for that for sure. And that reason is to stir up foment amongst the have nots. It's too bad some people won't see it.

According to these metrics, my family would be in the 1% when my wife is working full time. And that's absurd. We have one house (semi detached), 2 cars and no meaningful luxuries. To put my family in the same sub group as Bezos, is a bit of an insult.

My favourite bumper sticker belonged to a family friend "Politics and Economics is not left versus right but up vs down"