HAS THE U.S. BECOME A POLARIZED NATION?

 

                 …The difference between Red & Blue America continues to grow

 

Religion in America continues to become less relevant to every-day life

 

In a new study, it shows that the U.S. political divide between Red and Blue America is, “the widest among all the rich countries surveyed”.

“Why is that?”

There are many reasons, but the primary one is religion. 

Since 2007, the U.S. has become more of a “non-belief” nation with astonishing rapidity. The U.S. now ranks as the 12^th least religious country in the world.

That rapid change has created a “strong backlash” among those Americans that are religious. 

In a 2018 Pew Research study, they asked Americans whether religion should play a larger role in their society. 71% of self-identified conservatives said “yes” while 29% of liberals actually agreed with the conservatives.  

That 42 point gap “was off the charts compared with other countries:” 

This tension has split the country into two separate countries. 

One is the Blue, urban, educated, multi-cultural, secular and socially liberal with values that would “fit comfortably with Northern European Protestant countries,” like the United Kingdom and Sweden. 

The other, Red country, is largely rural, religious, traditional, and less educated, with values from the research, similar to those in “Nigeria and Saudi Arabia”.

That raises the obvious, troubling, question: “Can these two Americas find a way to live, work, cooperate with, and tolerate each other?”

Only time will tell.

Copyright G. Ater 2022