Monday, June 28, 2004
The Question of Integrity
American Demographics and Zogby have some fascinating data on how we choose our leaders. (You can find it at www.demographics.com, but you gotta subscribe.)
Consider the question: What characteristic is most important in defining a true leader?
Is it intelligence? I never thought so. At least as intelligence is most commonly misdefined. But Democrats were more than twice as likely as Republicans--22% to 9%--to select intelligence as the most important leadership trait.
Democrats were also twice as likely as Republicans to choose speaking ability as the prime determinant (4% vs. 2%), and nearly four times as likely to esteem diplomatic skill above all else (11% vs 3%).
Both parties held that integrity and morality (tied together as one option) were the most important leadership characteristics. But the difference between the party lines was nevertheless striking: 77% of Republicans checked the integrity block, compared to just 53% of Democrats.
Among those aged 55 to 69, nearly 75% chose the integrity block, compared with just half of 18-24 year-olds, and half of African Americans.
But what does "integrity/morality" mean? Well, the editors wanted to know that, too. 46% Cited "treating others as you would want to be treated." A third considered morality to mean that the candidate followed Biblical or spiritual principles. And more than 1 in 10 people believed that morality was "staying true to your convictions, whatever they may be."
By that standard, Adolf Hitler becomes a paragon of virtue.
31% of Democrats believed that Bill Clinton's public insistance that he did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky had nothing to do with morality.
Just How Stupid Are These People?
50% of Democrats believed that when President Bush stated in his 2003 State of the Union address that Iraq posed "a serious and mounting threat, that Bush "acted immorally."
What definition of "morality" leads them to that conclusion?
(Unfortunately, there's no Data on what Democrats thought when President Clinton was saying the same thing back in 1998.)
30% of respondents said that Gore's famous internet statement was immoral--proving that Republicans have been drinking some concentrated stupid juice themselves.
When asked to name an example of a moral leader, Jimmy Carter got the top nod, with 30%. Abraham Lincoln came in 2nd with 18%.
George W. Bush got 15%. Senator Kerry got 2%. Cheney got 1%.
(Where's George Washington?)
Both hispanics and blacks are are more likely than whites to forgive a transgression as long as the candidate shared their moral view of the world. ( 69% and 78%, respectively.) 65% of Republicans would cut a brother pubbie some slack, as well.
More than half of Republicans thought it "very important" that the leader share their moral outlook. But only a third of Democrats thought so.
Women were more likely than men to want the candidate to share their moral views.
Good stuff from American Demographics. With some juicy quotes in the piece from Newt Gingrich, Mark Shields, and others.
My favorite:
"Appeals to Biblical morality have been undermined by academic culture."
--Dr. Jude Dougherty, Catholic University of America
Worth a look.
Splash, out
Jason
Consider the question: What characteristic is most important in defining a true leader?
Is it intelligence? I never thought so. At least as intelligence is most commonly misdefined. But Democrats were more than twice as likely as Republicans--22% to 9%--to select intelligence as the most important leadership trait.
Democrats were also twice as likely as Republicans to choose speaking ability as the prime determinant (4% vs. 2%), and nearly four times as likely to esteem diplomatic skill above all else (11% vs 3%).
Both parties held that integrity and morality (tied together as one option) were the most important leadership characteristics. But the difference between the party lines was nevertheless striking: 77% of Republicans checked the integrity block, compared to just 53% of Democrats.
Among those aged 55 to 69, nearly 75% chose the integrity block, compared with just half of 18-24 year-olds, and half of African Americans.
But what does "integrity/morality" mean? Well, the editors wanted to know that, too. 46% Cited "treating others as you would want to be treated." A third considered morality to mean that the candidate followed Biblical or spiritual principles. And more than 1 in 10 people believed that morality was "staying true to your convictions, whatever they may be."
By that standard, Adolf Hitler becomes a paragon of virtue.
31% of Democrats believed that Bill Clinton's public insistance that he did not have sex with that woman, Monica Lewinsky had nothing to do with morality.
Just How Stupid Are These People?
50% of Democrats believed that when President Bush stated in his 2003 State of the Union address that Iraq posed "a serious and mounting threat, that Bush "acted immorally."
What definition of "morality" leads them to that conclusion?
(Unfortunately, there's no Data on what Democrats thought when President Clinton was saying the same thing back in 1998.)
30% of respondents said that Gore's famous internet statement was immoral--proving that Republicans have been drinking some concentrated stupid juice themselves.
When asked to name an example of a moral leader, Jimmy Carter got the top nod, with 30%. Abraham Lincoln came in 2nd with 18%.
George W. Bush got 15%. Senator Kerry got 2%. Cheney got 1%.
(Where's George Washington?)
Both hispanics and blacks are are more likely than whites to forgive a transgression as long as the candidate shared their moral view of the world. ( 69% and 78%, respectively.) 65% of Republicans would cut a brother pubbie some slack, as well.
More than half of Republicans thought it "very important" that the leader share their moral outlook. But only a third of Democrats thought so.
Women were more likely than men to want the candidate to share their moral views.
Good stuff from American Demographics. With some juicy quotes in the piece from Newt Gingrich, Mark Shields, and others.
My favorite:
"Appeals to Biblical morality have been undermined by academic culture."
--Dr. Jude Dougherty, Catholic University of America
Worth a look.
Splash, out
Jason
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