E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSMore than half of Americans see a strong conflict between the nation’s rich and poor people, but the rift appears to have decreased somewhat since a year earlier.
A new Pew Research survey finds that 58 percent of Americans see a strong or very strong conflict between rich people and poor people, down from 66 percent in late 2011.
The latest survey was conducted in late November and early December of 2012, just weeks after a contentious presidential election that touched heavily and repeatedly on the gap between rich and poor people in America.
Still, the researchers said the data did not point to a clear explanation for the decline from a year earlier. And, the researchers noted, the percentage of people who do see significant strife remains much higher than when they asked the question for the first time in 2009.
The gap between rich and poor was a common theme during the heated presidential campaign. President Barack Obama made raising taxes on the wealthy a mainstay of his efforts to get re-elected, while Republican contender Mitt Romney, one of the wealthiest presidential candidates in years, was forced to fight accusations that he was out of touch because of his wealth.
Both candidates argued passionately that their plans would help the nation’s middle class, which has struggled for years amid a deep recession and weak recovery.
The survey also was conducted as a fierce battle was heating up over raising taxes on the wealthy to avoid the fiscal cliff. After a protracted debate, Congress struck a deal to raise taxes on individuals who earn $400,000 a year, and households with income or $450,000 a year or more, as part of the fiscal cliff deal.
Although the percentage of people reporting strong conflicts between rich and poor lessened, it’s clear that the wealth gap remains one of the nation’s most divisive issues. The Pew research found that the conflict between rich and poor remained a bigger rift than other social conflicts, such as those between blacks and white and those between immigrants and people born in the United States.
Still, a higher percentage of people – 81 percent – saw strong conflicts between Republicans and Democrats.
Those closer to the top and bottom of the income scale were more likely to see class conflict. The Pew researchers said 60 percent of people with family incomes of less than $30,000 or more than $75,000 a year saw strong disagreements between the classes.
Income inequality has generally increased in recent years, as many Americans have seen their financial situation sour because of the housing bust, high unemployment and other woes. Median household income is 8.9 percent lower than it was at the least peak in 1999, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The gap between rich and poor also has sparked social movements such as Occupy Wall Street, which focused on the top 1 percent of Americans by wealth.
Leave a Comment:
Hahaha, this is great...Most people got screwed by the government during the fiscal cliff 'deal' and are too stupid to realize it. Now they think they won something by making the evil rich pay more. How's that 2% tax increase working out.
Pretty damn good! At least now, Social Security won't run out so fast. We never, NEVER, should have had the temporary SS tax reduction in the first place. Just smoke and mirrors.
Yes, we got screwed in the fiscal cliff "deal", $61 Billion in non-essential pork and they kicked the can down the road to 01 March.
"hippie"; adjective. Of the socialist mindset. Something which makes you feel good but doesn't solve the problem. usage: hippie fiscal policy. ;)
Why's it so hippie to not want social security taken away? You'll bash and bash it till you turn 65 and have a nice monthly check sent your way.
It's common sense. People should be able to retire. We don't spend near as much on these programs as we do on defense spending. Lets get rid of some of that. We don't need to spend as much as we do. We just need to stop using our armed forces so often. Call me a hippy all you like, but I hate seeing my friends go to war and come back all @!$%#ed up.
oh I'm sure they'll pull out the class warfare card again when it suits their objective. The most divisive admin ever.
I agree. We saw the same divisive tactics with Bush and the religious right. The truth is we 'fell' when our own obsession with consumables sucked out the last few dollars of the credit line. We became slaves to the corporate world as every dollar earned was never a full dollar.
I said no there's not conflict - only lots of BS! This stupid survey popped up so I didn't get to put my brief comments!
People who (basically inherited money!) think that money means they can run, rule & control the world and everyone in it - well they aren't a problem are they?
People who should be in jail serving hard time, but lawyers & status of their parents or their fame keep them on the streets committing more crimes & WE will not talk about the gang on American Greed - hedge fund, money market Madoff's who get a slap on the wrist & go to cupcake fed prison, but the people they Robbed like the American public get nothing in reparation, a Bill to pay for the privileged persons mess - oh, I forgot the two refund checks We got for the millions & billions stolen or passed out to crooks!
Let's not forget the little dead girl down the road from her house whose murder trial was hijacked by innuendo until it didn't matter how she got dead & who killed her- thanks to that high powered attorney seek fame & prestige - truth secondary & oh so unnecessary!!!
What conflict between people with money (esp. the lovers of money, which basically is the root of all EVIL!!!) and those who strive for the American dream (primarily most everyone else) who have to follow rules, laws & regulations to the letter because otherwise they wind up in those PRIVATIZED PRISONS that Lindsey & the burglary gang got to avoid because of over crowding!
Its not a conflict between rich and poor. Its about being stuck poor and not having any way of getting rich. That is the issue. Its everything from laws about who can run any type of business re: gambling, hospitals, generational transfers of wealth or even growing your own weed. It would be great if we were all on a level playing field starting a business - but thats not america and hasn t been that way for a lot of years now. The free interprise system is a myth. Most of america lives on/off the doll of government intervention one way or anothers. You name it - military, schools, hospitals, gm , aig, housing...they all take money from the feds in the name of free interprise.
I love how Obama sticks it to them. After years and years of increasing income disparity one guy finally has the guts to step up and say "enough". Its almost comical watching those who have enjoyed the lowest tax rates in modern history wine and complain about a 2-4% tax hike. As if that's some form of Socialism.
Times have definitely changed since the 70s and 80s. With continued cost increases on just about everything, corporate lackeys swallow up all profits and send jobs away because they can enjoy cheap labor outside the territorial US. They bring in products that say "made in China or Phillipines" that they pay about 4cents on the dollar. Bring the products here and charge lower income citizens 85cents on the dollar. Then they keep the money to boost their own individual wealth portfolio. They Don't offer jobs because they say they would have to pay too much in labor/pension costs to produce a product to satisfy their own ego-driven consumer desires. Our country suffers due to unemployment, lack of buying potential, and lowering of economic classes. If you can't see the widening of our class systems, you really have your head in the sand. The disproportunate widening of the economic classes weakens our country and society. It hasn't always been this wide and even the rich know this. They don't care. Just as long as you don't try to tell them what they can't consume or buy. If you do. They hide behind "You're a Socialist"! "You're Anti-American". I say Bulls--t. I, like anyother American, love my country. I would even lay my life down to protect rich people. Even though I'm disqusted with the wide gap between the rich and poor.
The numbers speak for themselves. The increasing distance between upstairs and downstairs fully reveals a new American aristocracy.
trickle down economics - Reaganomics has proven not to work. Greed is what distroys that idea - those with money and control when given more money only pocket the cash there are no job creators. Think back to 2010 during that mid-term election the talk was all about jobs jobs jobs and if the right was elected they would do whatever necessary to "create jobs" - what did they focus on - same sex issues - voting rights - and abortion and women's health issues - NOT JOBS. The party of "NO" continues to have NO idea what Americans want or need.
The wealth-gap argument was only used by the leftist libs and the blatantly biased mainstream media to get Obama re-elected. The leftwing media, including the news and entertainment media, used class warfare, charges of racism and then acts of racism, religion and lies to win the election so that the left and Obama could continue on with the task of destroying the sovereignty of this nation and the people of America...or at least try.
another example of a person with their head up their a--. Ignorance is bliss should be your moniker.