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As the midterm elections approach, many Americans are beginning to vote. Here are some of the values they say they hold. But curiously, Americans often support candidates and political parties that do not share or act on those same values.
Hunger
60% to over 80% of Americans support efforts to feed the hungry and address food insecurity, depending on the specific program or cause.
GenYouth
60% of Americans believe child food insecurity should be treated as a national priority, and 65% support state and federal resources (including free universal school meals) to feed hungry children.
GenYouth
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83% of Americans agree that the U.S. should declare food a basic human right.
WhyHunger
Nearly 70% of U.S. likely voters want increased government action on food insecurity, with broad majorities backing increased funding for federal programs like SNAP and TEFAP.
Feeding America
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Helping the Poor
52% to 55% in the U.S. favor increased government aid and believe government assistance to the poor does more good than harm.
Pew Research Center
70% of Americans agree that society has a moral obligation to help the poor.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Roughly 75% of U.S. adults donate money to charitable organizations annually, with about 40% specifically contributing to organizations that provide basic necessities like food and shelter in the U.S.
APNORC University of Chicago
Social Security
79% of Americans say Social Security benefits should not be reduced in any way.
Pew Research Center
International Aid
72% of Americans believe the U.S. should spend at least 1% of the federal budget on international aid to help end global hunger.
Action Against Hunger
Health Care
65% of Americans say the government has a responsibility to ensure all Americans have health care coverage.
Pew Research Center
Affordable Housing
77% of U.S. residents support general policies that make homes more affordable, while 79% support tax breaks for first-time homebuyers, 76% back caps on rent increases, and 75% favor initiatives for building homes for low-income families.
Redfin
The Education System
76% of people across the political spectrum strongly support universal education.
Children Thrive Action Network
Clean Water
91% of Americans believe ensuring access to safe drinking water for everyone should be a high priority, with 59% ranking it as a top priority for the federal government.
Natural Resources Defense Council
88% of Americans across political parties rank access to safe and clean water as a top-3 voter issue.
Value of Water Campaign
The Environment
Over 80% of Americans support action to protect the environment, invest in clean energy, and limit
carbon pollution.
Our World in Data
70% to 83% of Americans answered “yes” to a range of surveys focused on whether humans were causing climate change, whether it was a concern, and a threat to humanity.
Our World in Data
Racism
91% of Americans believe that everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, deserves an equal opportunity
to succeed.
Public Agenda Report
Gender Equality
An overwhelming majority of Americans support gender equality, with about 82% to 85% of adults stating that having equal rights for women and men is very important.
Pew Research Center
45% of Americans believe the country has not gone far enough in promoting gender equality.
YouGov
Refugees
67% to 69% of U.S. voters and Americans support having a national refugee resettlement program.
Data for Progress
Immigration
Between 60% and 78% of Americans support a pathway to legal status or citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Gallup
81%–85% support legal status for immigrants who arrived as children (DACA).
Gallup
64% of voters prefer giving undocumented immigrants a pathway to legal status rather than mass deportation.
Quinnipiac University
60% to 68% support for earned pathways to citizenship and legal status for long-term residents.
Public Religion Research Institute
Roughly 58% of U.S. adults oppose total mass deportations.
Pew Research Center
Around 73% of U.S. adults view legal immigration as a positive force for the country, with 66% supporting the ability of undocumented workers currently in the U.S. to apply for citizenship.
Council of Global Affairs
Human Trafficking
80% to 86% of Americans say that the trafficking of human beings is a serious problem globally and within the United States.
St Leo University
Gun Violence
Around 60% of U.S. adults think gun laws should be made stricter, and large majorities support specific measures to reduce gun violence.
Gallup
War with Iran
Between 49% and 62% of Americans oppose the current U.S. military conflict with Iran.
University of Maryland
The Criminal Justice System
Between 78% and 81% of likely U.S. voters support criminal justice and prison reform.
Fwd.Us
72% of voters favor reducing the U.S. prison population.
Fwd.Us
Over 80% of voters believe people leaving prison deserve a second chance and that the system should focus on rehabilitation rather than just punishment.
Vera Institute
Capital Punishment
44% of Americans oppose the death penalty — the highest level of opposition recorded since May 1966. Opposition to capital punishment has been increasing since the 1990s, and has more than tripled since 1995, when only 13% of Americans opposed the death penalty.
Gallup
Minimum Wage
65% of Americans support raising the federal minimum wage, with specific levels of backing varying depending on the proposed target and political affiliation.
Pew Research Center
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When asked to rank all their values, 64% of Americans said that “poverty and economic justice” and “greed and materialism” are the most urgent moral problems facing America. 27% cited abortion and marriage equality.
The Center for American Progress
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