A recently released survey of the attitudes and beliefs of U.S. “elites” starkly illustrates some differences between their views and those of regular Americans on a variety of topics.
The survey, conducted in two parts in September 2023 by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity — a right-leaning advocacy group helmed by publisher Steve Forbes — set out to compare the beliefs of American elites with a sample group of 1,000 registered voters. The results were published in a report titled “Them vs. U.S.: The Two Americas and How the Nation’s Elite Is Out of Touch with Average Americans.”
The elite, defined in the survey as “people having at least one post-graduate degree, earning at least $150,000 annually, and living in high-population density areas,” revealed a willingness to sacrifice certain freedoms in order to combat “climate change,” which, as the report notes, stands in stark contrast to the positions of the general public when queried on the same topic.
For example, the survey found that 77% of elites said they favor a policy “to mandate the strict rationing of gas, meat, and electricity” in order to “fight climate change.” In contrast, 63% of ordinary voters oppose such a policy.
Some observers believe this discrepancy between the two groups can be explained by elites’ awareness that their wealth can shield them from having to abide by the restrictions they seem to advocate for.
“Presumably, their wealth will ensure they are exempt from such rationing while poor people can go whistle,” wrote right-leaning commentator Paul Joseph Watson in an article published on Modernity.
According to the poll, most elites also favor forbidding air conditioning, gas stoves, gas-powered cars, and “non-essential air travel,” i.e., destination vacations. Left unanswered was the question of whether such rules would apply or be enforced on private jet flights and private compounds.
When asked whether the United States provides too much individual freedom, 47% of elites answered in the affirmative. In a subset of elites that were Ivy League graduates, that figure rose to 55%. In contrast, only 16% of ordinary Americans said they had too much freedom, with 57% saying they believed the government exerts too much control.
Even as elites appear to adhere to the principle that people should sacrifice more for the greater good, the survey found that 74% of them believed that their own financial situation was generally improving. Only about 20% of all Americans expressed that level of confidence in their finances.
That sunny outlook carried over to the elite assessment of Biden’s performance as president, with 84% approving of the job he is doing. In contrast, the general public’s approval of Biden was about half that at 44%.
The report concludes that the survey shows how elites are “out of step with the rest of the country.” Elsewhere, the report states, “The people who run America, or at least think they do, live in a bubble of their own construction.”