Saturday, December 10, 2011

Demographics of the Electorate

Voter demographics will play a big role in determining who wins the presidential election next year. According to Pew Research Center's 2011 Political Typology poll, the demographics of the nation's political types are wildly divergent. Here are the types, a Pew description of each, and the percentage who are non-Hispanic white (nhw) and aged 50 or older.

Staunch Conservatives (highly engaged Tea Party supporters): 92% nhw, 61% aged 50+
Main Street Republicans (conservative on most issues): 88% nhw, 43% aged 50+
Libertarians (free market, small government seculars): 85% nhw, 46% aged 50+
Disaffecteds (downscale and cynical): 77% nhw, 50% aged 50+
Solid Liberals (across-the-board liberal positions): 72% nhw, 42% aged 50+
Post-Moderns (moderates, but liberal on social issues): 70% nhw, 33% aged 50+
Hard-Pressed Democrats (religious, financially struggling): 53% nhw, 52% aged 50+
New Coalition Democrats (upbeat, majority-minority): 34% nhw, 40% aged 50+

For more about these groups and their politics, see Pew Research Center's Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology

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