Moving Beyond Right vs. Left

The New Political Compass

The old one-dimensional categories of ’conservative right’ and ’liberal left’ are overly simplistic for today’s complex political landscape. They are misleading and divisive at best, and often fail to address the underlying substance of our country’s leadership.

Two major surveys, completed during the Clinton administration, concluded that 36% of the U.S. population (45% of voters) was politically progressive (see "North" in the illustration below). The surveys revealed that this new progressive majority was 39% Democrat, 28% Republican, and 27% Independent. Only 18% are self-identified as liberal, 49% see themselves as centrist or neither left nor right, and 32% say they are conservative.

The relevant issues that most closely identify these progressive voters (45% of all voters) are: