| 摘要 | To many, those on the extreme left appear to be more politically radical, insular, vocal, and politically active than their moderate or even extremely conservative counterparts. It turns out that this is entirely correct.
In addition to a host of new studies and reports showing that liberals live in a digital bubble and have less diverse social media networks than moderates or conservatives, new data from the AEI Survey on Community and Society adds another layer to the story: Extreme liberals are notably more active on social media generally and are far more politically engaged than their moderate and even very conservative counterparts.
The AEI data reveals that social media has helped created an echo chamber around extreme liberals at rates significantly greater than other ideological groups. While 25% of very liberal respondents stated that social media made them “a lot” more involved with like-minded others, just 13% of moderates and very conservative identifiers believed that the internet increased their connections to similar people to that degree.
In other words, extreme liberals are almost twice as likely to interact with those who share similar outlooks to themselves online compared to conservatives and centrists.
Going further, progressives are also far more dominant online when expressing their views. Forty-eight percent of very liberal Americans report posting online about their politics, such as publicly supporting causes and campaigns, compared to just 23% of moderates and 30% of very conservative Americans. Once again, very liberal Americans are twice as likely to engage digitally compared to moderates. Such behaviors can further radicalize those in these echo chambers.
Turning to offline activism and engagement, those who identify as very liberal are far more vigorous when it comes to promoting political views and messaging compared to the average American as well. While there is parity with reported voter turnout for extreme liberals and conservatives, extreme liberals are far more likely to engage in other forms of participation, from contacting elected officials to attending rallies and political events compared to any other ideological group.
Forty percent of very strong liberals state that they have asked their friends, neighbors, family, or coworkers to support a particular candidate or a political position. The number who have done this drops to 20% for moderates and jumps up a bit to 27% for those who are very conservative, but these are real disparities. As for contacting an elected official or a politician about an issue, those who are very liberal are twice as likely to do this compared to moderates and all conservative identifiers. The same ratio exists when one considers if someone worked or volunteered for a political party, candidate, or a group that tried to impact public policy.
When looking at very public political rallies, protests, speeches, or campaigns event, it is three times more likely that one who is extremely liberal will be at a pubic political event compared to both moderates and all forms of conservatives. As for talking about politics, 47% of Americans state that they discuss politics or current affairs at least once a week or more frequently. In contrast, 67% of very liberal Americans talk politics at the same frequency (a 20-point difference) and those who are very conservative talk more often than the average but at a lower 54%. Moderates talk politics just 34% of the time.
The ideology gap narrows a bit when asked about displaying a campaign poster, bumper sticker, lawn sign, or button. Thirty-five percent of extreme liberals report doing this compared to 24% of liberals, 19% of moderates and conservatives, and 25% of “very conservative” American. But the prevailing trend is absolutely clear: very liberal Americans are far more likely to participate in traditional forms of political expression and engagement than any other ideological group.
In short, the data makes it abundantly clear that a very small, extremely liberal group – less than 5% of the sample here – makes a lot of noise both online and on the ground. It is very insular and far more active in its political behaviors than even its “very conservative” counterparts.
Those who identify as very liberal in the United States are true outliers in terms of their narrow networks and activist political behaviors. Americans should take note and not give them more credence than they deserve. While small numbers of liberals are protesting on Twitter, Facebook, and on the streets, most Americans (even those who are very conservative) are simply living their lives and are not nearly as politically engaged or habitually outraged. |
