Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Different Regions, Similar Views, Gregory A. Petrow

Political Science Faculty Publications

U.S. regions have had radically different political histories. The South long has been seen as the nation’s most conservative region, while New England has been perceived as the most liberal.

An examination of 40 years of survey data generated by the American National Election Study, however, suggests that differences between the South and New England on social issues tend to be small, are getting smaller, and in some instances have disappeared.

National Survey Shows Half-Century Trend Away From Democrats, Gregory A. Petrow

Political Science Faculty Publications

The partisan realignment in the South is a well-known fact. The 20th century began with the South solidly in the hands of the Democratic Party. This was true because the Southern Democratic Party look positions congruent with the Southern electorate's public policy preferences: namely, a states-centered view of government and an opposition to more egalitarian racial Policy.