Several independent public opinion survey firms unearthed data this year which tell a great deal about what the American public believes. They reveal a tremendous gap between the beliefs of the people and of the leaders who run our country.
Although the Connecticut Mutual Life Report on American Values in the 1980s, a survey taken in late 1980 and released in 1981, received a good bit of press when it was released because of its unexpected data about the relationship between religious belief and political involvement, it is instructive to examine the particulars of the survey. It is increasingly timely because “morality in politics” is currently the favorite whipping boy of the liberals.
The Connecticut Survey asked three groups the question whether they consider the following things “morally wrong.” The answers form a consistently striking pattern.
In the following breakdown, the first figure is the percentage of the public who think it is morally wrong, the second figure is the percentage of leaders who think it is morally wrong, and the third figure is the percentage of law/justice leaders who think it is morally wrong. Abortion: 65, 36, 25; homosexuality: 71, 42, 30; lesbian- ism: 70, 42, 30; smoking marijuana: 57, 33, 19; sex before age 16: 71, 55, 46; living with someone of the opposite sex before marriage: 47, 32, 19; adultery: 85, 71, 60; pornographic movies: 68, 56, 41; hard drugs: 84, 73, 58; sex between two single people: 40, 31, 17.
The survey thus makes it clear that it is not the American people who are demanding the acceptance of extra-marital sex, alternate lifestyles, and drugs; it is our leaders in government, education and television who are leading us in that direction; and the Taw/justice leaders (the courts) are the most permissive of all.
Now let’s take a Look at the same kind of breakdown on the religious commitment of these three groups. The figures below are the percentages of the same three groups who answered the Connecticut Survey question saying “frequently.” Feel that God loves you: 73, 54, 44; engage in prayers: 57, 48, 33; attend religious services: 44, 43, 34; read the Bible: 28, 22, 8; have a religious experience: 25, 21, 9; encourage others to turn to religion: 23, 19, 8.
The liberals who are presently engaging in massive fund-raising solicitations to fight the alleged danger of the “moral majority” don’t seem to understand why such issues as national defense and the federal courts appear on the political agenda of religiously motivated people. The Connecticut Survey shows that those issues follow the same pattern as the moral and religious issues.
The above-named three groups responded in the following percentages to the statement, “It is important for America to have the strongest military force in the world, no matter what it costs”: 74, 50, 47. Those three groups responded to this statement, “There is too much concern in the courts for the rights of criminals”: 70, 69, 41.
Independent confirmation for the Connecticut Survey came from a poll by Sindlinger and Company of Media, Pennsylvania, which found that 77% of the American people do not feel that the Federal judiciary reflects their views. This survey shows that massive public support exists for sweeping reforms in the Federal court system.
Here are some of the Sindlinger results which show public disenchantment with the Federal courts: 73% want Federal judges to face periodic reconfirmation; 68% support replacing the present lifetime tenure with direct election of judges; 61% want sensitive issues like “busing, abortion, or voluntary prayer decided in state courts” rather than Federal courts; 81% endorse Congressional efforts to withdraw jurisdiction from the Federal courts over “issues like busing.”
A substantial majority of Americans want Congress to assert its power in order to diminish the judicial power: 86% want Congress to scrutinize Federal court decisions to be sure they do not go beyond the bounds of the Constitution; 55% would allow Congress by a two-thirds majority vote to overturn a Supreme Court decision.
The orchestrated responses of the sex-and-violence TV producers, of the Playboy-type magazines, and of the librarians who buy dirty books with tax funds is, “But we merely reflect society; we are just giving the people what they demand.” The Connecticut and Singlinger surveys show how phony is that response. The American people clearly want a decent, moral, law-abiding, and militarily-strong nation.
