According to the mainstream media, Americans fully support the Democratic party’s opinions on every issue, from allowing illegal immigrants to remain in the U.S. to the “strong economy” the Biden administration is touting. However, a fascinating new study by the Massachusetts firm Populace shows that what people say they support differs significantly from what they believe.
It’s a phenomenon called the Social Pressure Index, and it reveals what most Americans already know. When faced with a controversial opinion, Americans will either play along with the group or remain quiet. In private, what they believe is at odds with their coworkers’, friends’, and neighbors’ opinions. They are hesitant to be perceived negatively and keep conflicting opinions to themselves.
One surprising revelation is the difference between what Americans claim to support and what they believe behind closed doors regarding gun ownership and gun bans.
In an unexpected finding, Gen Z privately supports gun ownership more than Millennials. Despite the Democratic party claiming that Gen Z is firmly anti-gun, it turns out that only 21% of this generation believe guns should be outlawed. Conversely, 54% of Millennials support the idea that guns should be banned.
The divide between what Americans publicly claim to support and what they genuinely believe in private is a study of peer pressure for both groups. Millennials feel that the majority of other Millennials disagree with stricter gun laws and will keep their own opinions on the matter quiet. Gen Z feels the exact opposite, believing that the majority of their generation supports gun bans.
The study found that White and Hispanic Americans are among the least supportive of banning public gun ownership, with only about one-quarter (24% of White and 31% of Hispanic respondents) claiming to be in favor.
But behind closed doors, even fewer support this ban—16% of White and 20% of Hispanic Americans.
Similarly, a minority of Black and Asian Americans think owning guns should be illegal. However, for these demographics, what they say they believe reflects what they secretly believe. In other words, about 32% of Asians and Black Americans support gun bans both in public and behind closed doors.
The Social Pressure Index report shows that only a minority of Americans support making gun ownership illegal, with little change in opinions based on political affiliation. However, more Democrats than Republicans support banning private gun ownership. About one in three Democrats (31%) privately supports the ban, while only one in ten Republicans (8%) agrees.
The Social Pressure Index found that defunding the police isn’t popular in public or private. Eighteen percent of Americans claim to support it, but secretly, only 2% agree with the idea. Among Millennials, 25% agree publicly, while Gen Z weighs in at 28%. However, no generation shows more than 4% private support.
The Social Pressure Index survey asked 64 questions about various topics, such as how much people trust the government, their finances, their views on immigration, and their support for Israel or the Palestinians.
With the rise of politicians supporting socialist policies, the mainstream media would have Americans believe that most support some form of communism in the United States. But public opinion surveys show that communism isn’t popular in America, and people are even more skeptical about it in private. The Social Pressure Index found that while 11% of Americans claim to support communism, only 2% do so privately.
There’s a more significant difference between Gen Z and Millennials’ public and private opinions about communism. About 26% of Gen Z and 19% of Millennials say they support communism, but privately, these numbers drop to only 3% of Gen Z and 4% of Millennials.
Even among Democrats, there’s also a gap between public (17%) and private (3%) support for communism. Privately, Democrats’ views on communism are similar to those of Republicans and Independents.
Men and women show low private support for communism, with 3% of men and 2% of women favoring it. Surprisingly, men are more likely to overstate their support publicly (14%) than women (9%).
The study’s results are not surprising for Republicans. Conservatives feel the pressure to hide their personal beliefs on everything from religion to DEI and support for President Trump. It’s like being in high school while paying taxes.
It’s important to understand that despite what the media and politicians claim, most Americans disagree with some of the most controversial liberal opinions. They are just too afraid to say so.