TEXAS — Every year, the Texas Lyceum Poll commissions a nonpartisan survey to learn more about what is important to the average Texan.
Capital Tonight had Frank Ward, chair of the Texas Lyceum Poll, on to analyze the poll’s findings.
One finding of the poll was a “depth of distrust that Texans place in many institutions that make up pillars of American society,” according to the summary.
A question asked was “Thinking about divisions among Americans, which of the following do you hold most responsible for these divisions,” and it gave respondents the options of elected officials, social media, cable news channels, other countries or don’t know.
By far, respondents said elected officials were the most responsible for the divisions at 42%. The next closest was social media at 28%, and then cable news was at 13%.
“What you see here is that it’s a symptom of a broader feeling in this country that these divisions run deep, right? And you hear this often about rhetoric and politics across the aisle, across the spectrum,” Ward said. “And so I don’t think we were necessarily surprised that a plurality of Texans felt this way. But when you look at it, 70% are saying elected officials or social media, one or the other, right? And so I don’t think that was necessarily a surprise.”
Another question the poll asked was whether people prefer political leaders who comprise and find the middle ground on key issues or those who stand their ground.
Approximately 68% of respondents said they prefer a leader who will comprise.
“I think it’s finding that we were not surprised by, because this continues a longstanding trend of not only Texans, but Americans who say they want to be met in the middle,” Ward said. “But what’s interesting about this poll is that we’re not actually polling just registered voters, this is across the spectrum. These are Texans from all walks of life. And so Republican, Democrat, Black, white, brown, rural, urban. I think that, you know, that really is the sentiment of nearly 70% of. And these are your more everyday kind of person, not super highly partisan people.”
On the topic of immigration, 74% of respondents said that legal immigrants have a positive impact on the Texas economy.
Ward said that the two most important issues to Texans were immigration and border security, with the economy in third place.
“And I think historically in this country and in the state, we have great regard for this notion that we’re a melting pot and that everybody comes from somewhere else and that makes America a beautiful place,” Ward said. “But I think there’s also a strong regard for the law and there has been this discontentedness, right, that’s existed for decades under multiple presidential administrations where, you know, I think people generally don’t object to legal immigration, but they’ve seen a southern border in particular that they felt has been too porous, too open.”
For the full findings of the Texas Lyceum Poll, head to its website.