Research Identifies Source of Americans' Frustration, Dissatisfaction with Elections, Leadership |
Barna: Americans are at a turning point and "must finally decide if they want government to rule their lives or if they will rule themselves" |
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Glendale, AZ — It’s certainly no secret that the 2022 midterm election has left millions of Americans underwhelmed and frustrated. But new research shows that the reason so many Americans feel this way—or even angry (as 73% admit to being)—is that the election failed to address their real needs and hopes in favor of the self-interest of parties, politicians and ideologues.
In other words, when it comes to what voters really want, both parties missed the mark this election cycle.
According to post-election analysis and research from Dr. George Barna, Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, even though two out of three adults (65%) say they are “very proud to be an American,” the mindset of Americans regarding governance and the political process is ‘tense and dark’.
Among the revealing statistics that substantiate Barna's claim:
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The major political parties and party leaders are out of touch with the core values of the people.[1]
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Neither major political party, and only a handful of candidates, highlighted a comprehensive and compelling vision for America as the centerpiece of their campaign for voter support.[ii]
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Candidates seeking to represent the public were heavily influenced—often to their detriment—by private, special interests.[iii]
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More than seven out of 10 adults (71%) believe in both democracy and the America political system. They contend that the system itself is not broken, but is being abused by bad actors for personal gain.[iv]
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The public maintains a deep and wide distrust of political officials, with a mere 7% expressing high levels of trust in Congress, and less than one out of four possessing high trust in the presidency or in the U.S. Supreme Court.[v] Only one out of five adults (20%) trust the government to usually do the right thing.[vi]
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Enormous numbers of citizens believe that many (if not most) of our public officials are corrupt and incompetent. Small proportions believe that high ethical standards are maintained by members of Congress (9%), state officeholders (12%), and local officeholders (22%). Close to six out of 10 adults (56%) claim that the government is corrupt. [vii]
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The voting public is not immune to blame for the letdown. On the whole, voters were ill-informed and minimally motivated. Just 5% are enthusiastic about the way things are going in the United States[viii] Only 21% said that candidates running for office this cycle did a good job of explaining their plans. And less than two out of every five adults (38%) said they had given a lot of thought to the election.[ix]
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A minority (38%) are excited about America’s future, and even fewer believe we are leaving our children a better nation than we inherited.[x] In fact, six out of 10 adults (58%) expect the United States to be worse off five years from now unless we change tracks.[xi]
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Only 3% said they are very satisfied with the way things are going in the United States today.[xii] Despite a huge majority of Americans holding the belief that America is moving in the wrong direction for more than decade, the voting base did little to demand significant changes in the substance of political discussions and the selection of political leaders.
Rather than focusing their energy toward reforming the process, however, Barna says voters did little to demand significant changes and allowed themselves to be manipulated into one of three states of mind—indifference (the one-third of the voting public who simply accepted the situation); antagonism (some two-thirds of voters who hold negative feelings towards people of different political perspectives); or disconnection (the estimated 53% of the voting-eligible public who chose to sit out the election).[9]
In essence, he says, voters received an expensive, emotional and intensive effort that mostly mirrored past elections in tone and objectives. So, regardless of who was elected, the results were bound to leave Americans dissatisfied, perplexed, irritated, or even outraged—and they did.
With the 2024 primary elections scheduled to begin barely more than one year from now, the United States is poised, Barna claims, to experience the same unfulfilling outcomes, unless a new eye is cast toward our political conversation.
But what would that look like?
Working with colleagues at both the Cultural Research Center and AmericasOne, Barna developed a vast body of research — the Americas Values Study — that explored the worldview and core values of American voters, and the political applications of those elements. The research suggests that if a different outcome and post-election climate is to be expected, our chosen leaders must be held accountable by a voting public that operates with a different set of ideals and standards. Key elements include:
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Electing servant leaders. More than three out of four voters (76%) said they are seeking people who want to hold office not because it provides a means of self-advancement but rather provides a means of serving the public. Roughly as many (72%) said they want public leaders who will contribute value to people’s lives. And a similar proportion expects leaders to anticipate the future and act accordingly, rather than to simply hold an office and maintain what currently exists (74%).
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Pushing back against excessive exercises of authority. If “we, the people” are the “owners” of the republic, then we must act like the boss. Most adults (76%) indicate they want more control over their life and less government interference in their personal decisions.
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Redefining the goal of elections. The emphasis on winning individual seats of authority, and striving to establish party majorities, is counterproductive. The only true “win”, Barna says, is when the people’s vision and values are clarified, discussed, pursued and achieved.
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Casting vision. A hallmark of great leaders, Barna says, is their ability to continually promote a clear and compelling vision of the future to which people are eager to commit themselves. He notes that in studying the political messaging in the most recent election cycles, most are devoid of vision, focusing instead upon personal, tactical, philosophical and confrontational statements or promises—many of which contradict the expressed core values of Americans.
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Demonstrating a practical commitment to governing in ways that respect and fulfill our national values. Those values, according to Barna, represent our national DNA. The failure to build a future around those values can only stimulate anxiety, confusion, disharmony, distrust, selfishness and conflict. Instead, celebrating and pursuing relationships and opportunities that build on our shared vision, values, beliefs, and lifestyles will enable the United States to thrive as a nation because its people are empowered to flourish.
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Instituting transparent measurement of leadership performance in relationship to the fulfillment and protection of the vision and values. Currently, we measure political dominance—e.g., which party has the most seats, which group has the most resources, who can sidestep the system to get things done—and so the process produces domination. More effective measures could be developed. Their value would be enhanced by becoming easily and widely accessible, and facilitating comprehensive performance accountability.
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Beyond those parameters, it’s attention to the nation’s core value—family, as identified by the study— in governance that could not only facilitate unity, Barna says, but also keep government focused on what the people need rather than what self-serving entities desire.
In fact, developing an eye for the potential impact upon how well a proposed government program or policy coincides with, or advances our core values, would be a valuable skill for all Americans, including servant leaders and voters.
Having managed political campaigns at all levels—from presidential campaigns to local efforts, both within and outside of the United States—Marc Nuttle, founder of AmericasOne, agreed.
“Voters have lost confidence in national leaders, national parties, and national institutions. They’ve defaulted by instinct to the authority and structure of the nuclear family to determine positions on important and complicated issues. It’s imperative they understand that not only is this okay, it is exactly what the Founding Fathers of our great republic intended.”
Nuttle continued, “the re-emerging governing authority of the United States is American families, contributing to the collective national will for the definition of government policy. In this new ordained order, the acceptance of compromise at the ballot box can be realized through the exercise of democracy. And it is this new authority that elected officials and candidates for office must relate to and defer.”
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to view or download the full report
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Barna agreed, taking the idea a step further.
“We've reached the turning point, the moment when Americans must finally decide if they want government to rule their lives or if they will rule themselves. I believe 2024 may be the point of no return. Either it will be government of, by, and for the people—exercised through the nuclear family—or it will be a government of elites, not unlike the monarchy we left behind in England more than 200 years ago.”
Barna explained, “The choice facing Americans is really not about Democrat or Republican rule. That’s a distraction. It is about re-establishing the will, the vision, the rights, and the rule of the people. Right now we have the wrong people pushing the wrong actions for the wrong reasons. Matters will only get worse unless the people are willing to invest in restoring their authority in this republic.”
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[1] Aliza Astrow and Lanae Erickson, “Overcoming the Democratic Party Brand,” Third Way, June 2022. Accessed at: https://www.thirdway.org/search?q=overcoming%20the%20democratic%20brand
[ii] George Barna, America’s Values Study: A National Survey of Core Values in the United States 2022, commissioned by AmericasOne; Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, July 2022. Reports available at: https://www.arizonachristian.edu/culturalresearchcenter/research/
[iv] Ibid., “Americans’ Views of Government: Decades of Distrust, Enduring Support for Its Role,” June 6, 2022. Accessed at:https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/americans-views-of-government-decades-of-distrust-enduring-support-for-its-role/
[vi] “Public Trust in Government: 1958-2022,” Pew Research Center, June 6, 2022. Accessed at: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/06/06/public-trust-in-government-1958-2022/
[viii] “2022 Exit Polls,” CNN Politics (undated). Accessed Nov. 15, 2022: https://www.cnn.com/election/2022/exit-polls/national-results/house/0
[x] Barna, America’s Values Study, July 2022.
[xii] “Concerns About Inflation Rise Heading Into the Midterms, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Republicans Have Edge in Enthusiasm to Vote,” Quinnipiac University Poll, Nov. 2, 2022. Accessed at: https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3861
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NOTE: The research above was commissioned by AmericasOne and conducted by Dr. George Barna in his role as Director of Research for the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. Dr. Barna is no longer associated with The Barna Group.
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About the Cultural Research Center |
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The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University in Glendale, Arizona, conducts the annual American Worldview Inventory, other nationwide surveys regarding cultural transformation, and worldview-related surveys among the ACU student population. The groundbreaking ACU Student Worldview Inventory is administered to every ACU student at the start of each academic year, and a final administration is undertaken among students just prior to their graduation, enabling the University to track and address the worldview development of its students.
CRC is guided by George Barna, Director of Research, and Tracy Munsil, Executive Director. Like ACU, CRC embraces biblical Christianity. The Center works in cooperation with a variety of Bible-centric, theologically conservative Christian ministries and remains politically non-partisan. Access to the results from past surveys conducted by CRC and information about the Cultural Research Center is accessible at www.culturalresearchcenter.com. Further information about Arizona Christian University is available at www.arizonachristian.edu.
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This report is based upon data from a pair of companion surveys commissioned by AmericasOne that were conducted in July 2022. The first of those surveys, among a nationally representative sample of 2,275 adults, was administered online and took respondents an average of 21 minutes to complete. The second survey, administered to an online sample of 1,500 respondents, took an average of 22 minutes to complete. The sample for both surveys employed geographic quotas to replicate the population incidence in each of the nine Census divisions. Among the factors studied in the surveys were reactions to 48 values. Each respondent was asked which of five responses best described their attitude toward the value in question, whether they:
- were willing to fight for/die to protect/preserve that value in your life
- were willing to sacrifice personal resources to retain that value
- were willing to argue in support of that value
- did not feel strongly one way or the other about that value
- or were not willing to defend that value
Additional related information about the state of American values can be found at www.AmericasOne.com.
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AmericasOne is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the cause of freedom, fiscal responsibility, and the core values that make America exceptional.
AmericasOne is a community of values-driven individuals who are seeking to grow their families and businesses and would like to share their ideas and challenges in a supportive and trusted environment. AmericasOne is committed to equipping and engaging individuals and families who want meaningful, thoughtful reform that puts principles, not politicians, first. Our members get the resources needed to advance the cause of freedom, free economic choice, and the core values that make America exceptional.
AmericasOne is founded by Marc Nuttle, a lawyer, author, consultant, and businessman. He’s represented and advised Presidents of the United States, leaders of foreign countries, state officials, and corporations. He has worked on government policy and is an expert at understanding, analyzing, and predicting economic and cultural trends. For more information on AmericasOne and the America’s Values Research project, visit www.AmericasOne.com or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AmericasOne.
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Click here for press materials on Dr. George Barna
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To connect with Dr. Barna:
Jason Jones
Jones Literary
512.720.2996
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