Although 82% of consistent liberals prefer leaders who compromise, 62% say the optimal deal between Obama and the GOP should be closer to what Obama wants. A 56% majority prefers political leaders who “are willing to compromise,” while 39% prefer leaders who “stick to their positions.” And this preference has a decidedly ideological tilt: Consistent liberals overwhelmingly prefer leaders who compromise (by an 82% to 14% margin), while consistent conservatives voice a preference for leaders who stick to their positions, by a 63% to 32% margin.ĭespite liberals’ stated preference for compromise, however, they are about as likely as conservatives to want political agreements that favor their side. In principle, most Americans want their political leaders to compromise. Compromise in Practice Detailed Table: Political Compromise in Principle Nearly a quarter (22%) of consistent conservatives think that Republicans should get 90% or more of what they seek. On average, consistent conservatives say that ideally, congressional Republicans should get 66% of what they want, while Obama should get just 34% of what he wants. Those on the right also are reluctant to see their side give ground. And 16% of consistent liberals think Obama should obtain 90% or more of what he wants in these deals. And not by just a little bit: On average, consistent liberals say Obama should get two-thirds of what he wants, meeting congressional Republicans only one-third of the way. Instead, most (62%) think that any deal between the two sides should be closer to Obama’s position than the GOP’s position. Only about a third (34%) of consistent liberals think of the ideal point as halfway between Obama and the Republicans. Exactly half of Republicans and Republican-leaners agree that splitting the difference is the right end result.īut those who see the world through more ideological lenses have a very different perspective. While some Democrats would prefer to see Obama get more of what he wants in negotiations with Republicans, 46% of Democrats and Democratic-leaners say the ideal outcome is 50/50. For roughly half of Americans (49%) the preferred outcome is to split the difference at exactly 50/50 - each getting about half of what they want. When Americans look at the political battles between President Obama and Republicans in Congress, they tend to say both sides should meet in the middle. This belies the popular conception of the center as largely made up of “moderates,” in contrast to the “extremists” on the left and right.
Sizable minorities of those who hold mixed ideological views support many of these proposals. The survey includes several questions about proposals that are on the periphery of current policy debates, such as whether to launch a national effort to deport all unauthorized immigrants and whether to eliminate all restrictions on gun ownership and abortion. But in many cases they are no more likely to express these opinions than are those who hold a mixture of conservative and liberal views. To be sure, many Americans who have consistently liberal or conservative views support far-reaching policies on issues like gun control, abortion, health care or immigration. However, while they may be less amenable to political compromise, people on the left and the right are not necessarily more extreme in their policy views. See Q26 in the topline for these categories. Where on this scale from zero to 100 do you think they should end up?” (Note: For half of the sample, the placements of Obama and Republicans are reversed.)Īny number between 0 and 100 was accepted as a response, with responses then collapsed into 11 categories, as illustrated here. Imagine a scale from zero to 100 where 100 means Republican leaders get everything they want and Obama gets nothing he wants, and zero means Obama gets everything and Republican leaders get nothing. Question wording: “Thinking about how Barack Obama and Republican leaders should address the most important issues facing the country.
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