National Voter Apathy, Low Voter Turnout
Survey Uncovers Why Americans Disconnect from Political Process 

	Issues addressed in the '96 election did not hit home for
white middle class Americans. Not particularly worried about the
economy or their jobs, white middle class Americans fear they are
losing what makes their everyday living important, and view
political leaders as incompetent -- and even hostile -- to their
values.

	The middle class's alienation toward the political process
shows clearly in one of the most comprehensive surveys on American
ideals, beliefs and values ever undertaken. In 2,000 face-to face
interviews nationwide, each lasting over an hour, Americans of
diverse social, cultural and economic backgrounds were asked
questions examining their perceptions of, and expectations for,
American democracy. The results are described in "The State of
Disunion," published by the University of Virginia's Post-Modernity
Project, led by "Culture Wars" author James Davison Hunter.

	"The middle class's disaffection with the political process
is particularly troubling," said Hunter, who combined forces with
the Gallup Organization and Carl Bowman, a sociology professor at
Bridgewater College, to conduct the survey.

	"The middle class fears that everything they have lived for
-- their Judeo-Christian God, their family life, their moral
commitments, their work ethic and the public school system -- is in
decline and possibly disappearing. It is not a 'fear of falling'
that haunts the middle class, but a fear of the curtain falling on
their way of life," said Hunter, the W.R. Kenan Professor of
Sociology at U.Va. 

	The presidential candidates, with their cries of tax cuts
and campaign finance reform, were not hitting central concerns of
most Americans, the survey showed. "The middle class believes
politicians are incapable of restoring what's relevant to them. The
middle class also believes politicians exploit their concerns to win
elections," Hunter said. 

	Although alienated from political institutions, people
expressed deep belief in the American creed, the survey showed. For
example, 95 percent said that it is important to teach children that
"America is the world's great melting pot, in which people from
different countries are united into one nation."

	And Americans' hope for freedom and ability to achieve is
strong. Ninety-six percent agreed that the principle "with hard work
and perseverance, anyone can succeed in America" should be taught to
children. 

	Still 50 percent said that the U.S. is in decline, and one
out of five contended that it is in strong decline. 

	"Those at the socio-economic bottom are the least upset with
government. It's the white, well-educated middle class, mostly from
small towns in the east-central part of the United States, who
expressed the most negative sentiments about America," Hunter said. 

	"The survey penetrates America's most recent dilemmas -- the
disaffection with the political system, the prominence of
special-interest groups, such as the Christian Right, and the
proliferation of anti government militias. Observers write about the
fragmentation of our culture, the erosion of morals, the
consequences of new class divisions, and the loss of legitimacy for
key public institutions. Although their warnings are ominous and
repeated by anecdote, they have rarely been tested against empirical
data. This survey ascertains how much of talk about America's
problems can be substantiated," Hunter said. 

	The survey paints a rich portrait of Americans' views on
America. It explores in depth individuals' commitment to ideals and
beliefs about America. It also reveals the pressure points in
American democracy by examining racial matters, the Christian Right
and the gay community.

	For more information on the survey's findings, contact James
Hunter at (804) 924-7705.

	If Hunter is unavailable, other researchers in the Post
Modernity Project, a multi-perspective examination of the nature and
consequences of contemporary social change, can answer survey
questions. In addition, Bowman is at (540) 828 5349.

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November 6, 1996

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