FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 30, 1987

The People, the Press & Politics

Report Summary There are 11 distinct groups in the American electorate — 10 that vote in varying degrees, and one that does not vote at all. How Americans vote is a much more complex process than previously defined. There have been many attempts to analyze political attitudes in this country. Some analysts have focused on […]

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RECOMMENDED CITATION

Pew Research Center, September 1987, "The People, the Press & Politics"

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Table of contents

The People, the Press & Politics

Report Summary There are 11 distinct groups in the American electorate — 10 that vote in varying degrees, and one that does not vote at all. How Americans vote is a much more complex process than previously defined. There have been many attempts to analyze political attitudes in this country. Some analysts have focused on […]

Report Summary

There are 11 distinct groups in the American electorate — 10 that vote in varying degrees, and one that does not vote at all. How Americans vote is a much more complex process than previously defined. There have been many attempts to analyze political attitudes in this country. Some analysts have focused on party as the key factor, while others stress ideology, issues, or generation. But the Times Mirror study conducted by The Gallup Organization, based on 4,244 exhaustive, in-person interviews, conducted between April 25 – May 10, 1987,  reveals far more complexity and many more voting factors than have previously been quantified and analyzed.