American Backlash is a study of American values that goes beyond the Red versus Blue dichotomy, beyond the litany of divisive political issues that receive so much attention in American public discourse: abortion, stem-cell research, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, Darwin versus Genesis, prayer in schools, and so on. Widening the lens to examine the psychology of American society as a whole, Canadian pollster Michael Adams argues that it is neither Red nor Blue America that represents the overall trajectory of social change in the United States. Rather, it is that nearly half the population disengaged from politics that is the greatest barometer of where American society is headed.

Relying on over 8,000 social values questionnaires fielded in the United States from 1992 through 2004, Adams offers unique insight into social and political change in the world’s most powerful nation.

October 24, 2006

Related reading

Changing opinions about the United States, China and Russia

Over the past few years, the foreign policy challenges facing Canada have multiplied.

Sex and fire: Religion, homosexuality, and authority in Canada and the United States

Canada’s Supreme Court recently declared that, should the federal govern-ment wish to proceed with same-sex marriage legislation, it should be encumbered only by its own fear of controversy–not by any constitutional constraints.

A blended image of the Canadian and U.S. flags with the text “Focus Canada - Public Opinion in Canada and the United States” overlaid in white letters.

Public Opinion in Canada and the United States

The diminishing concern about the impact of free trade on Canada’s cultural identity coincides with some sharp differences of opinion between Canadians and Americans on prominent social issues.

Environics Institute for Survey Research

701-33 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON M4W 3H1

info@environicsinstitute.org

Subscribe to our eNews

Subscribe to our eNews to stay apprised of our latest reports, Insights, events, and media mentions.

Stay Connected