Naturally, not all libertarians favor all these policies, but libertarianism carries a strong presumption that government activity is an unnecessary evil and that individuals acting in a free economy and free society will arrive at better solutions through their cooperation and conflict. Ideology and the American People Ideologies are not distributed evenly across American public opinion. Almost half of all Americans reported that they were moderates or did not know what to label their beliefs. Looking at the entire period from 1972 to 1996, the proportion of Americans who consider themselves conservative has been roughly steady, but the proportion of moderates has increased at the expense of those who identify as liberal. Although liberalism and conservative ideologies are alive and well in America, Americans are not a deeply ideological people.
Survey research shows low consistency of belief patterns.
After mastering the concepts in this chapter, you will be able to Illustrate how the case of affirmative action reveals the tension in core values of the American political culture. Give the main criticisms of contemporary liberalism. Explain the beliefs associated with socialism. Explain the beliefs associated with libertarianism. Outline the distribution of ideological beliefs among the American population as shown in survey research.