Among the large differences between supporters of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Joe Biden are gulfs in religious and foreign policy values, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center.
Asked whether Washington should take the interests of allies into account “even if it means making compromises with them,” 79% of Harris supporters and 40% of Trump supporters said it ought to do so.
A much larger percentage of Trump supporters (76%) than Harris supporters (55%) said that “U.S. policies should try to keep it so America is the only military superpower,” with 42% of Harris supporters, and just 22% of Trump supporters, saying that “it would be acceptable if another country became as militarily powerful as the U.S.”
The Pew analysis was based on two surveys—held between April 8 and Aug. 14, and Aug. 5 and Aug. 11—of 4,527 registered voters.
An overwhelming majority (83%) of Trump supporters and 68% of Harris supporters said that a strong U.S. military makes the world safer. A quarter of Harris supporters said that a strong U.S. military has no impact on how safe the world is.
There was also a wide divide on the degree to which the United States ought to engage actively in world affairs. One in five Trump supporters and 33% of Harris supporters said that was “extremely important.” Some 53% of Trump supporters and 71% of Harris supporters said it was at least “very important” for Washington to engage actively on a global scale.
Just 7% of Trump supporters and 4% of Harris supporters said doing so wasn’t too important, or important at all.
Trump supporters favored smaller government by a wide margin (84%) over Harris supporters (22%). Harris supporters were much likelier (87%) than Trump supporters (55%) to say that “religion should be kept separate from government policies.” Nearly half (45%) of Trump supporters and just 13% of Harris supporters agreed that “government policies should support religious values and beliefs.”
More Trump supporters (46%) than Harris supporters (22%) said that belief in God is a prerequisite “to be moral and have good values,” per the Pew analysis.
Trump and Harris supporters also have very different family values.
Some 60% of Trump supporters and just 17% of Harris supporters said that “society is better off if people make marriage and having children a priority,” while 81% of Harris supporters and 39% of Trump supporters said that “society is just as well off if people have priorities other than marriage and children.”
