The Left and Right Think They Live on Different Planets — New Data Shows They’re More Like Next-Door Neighbors
Poll Reveals Common Ground on 6 Values and a Hidden Opportunity for Americans to Solve Problems Together
June 14, 2023 — Starts With Us™, a nonpartisan movement to overcome toxic tribalism and solve our
most challenging problems, has released a new poll showing that an overwhelming majority of
Democrats and Republicans agree on six fundamental values but are skeptical that the “other side”
shares these values. The poll, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago on behalf of Starts With
Us, found that about 9 in 10 Democrats and Republicans say the following are very or extremely
important to them:
- A government that is accountable to the people
- Fair and equal application of the rule of law
- A government that is representative of the people it serves
- Learning from the past to improve our country
- Personal responsibility and accountability for our actions
- Respect and compassion across differences
Many Democrats and Republicans, however, do not perceive this agreement, with only about one-third
saying that members of the other political party would consider each of these values important. The poll
also reveals Independents’ misperceptions, with only roughly one-third saying that Democrats and
Republicans would consider the six values very or extremely important.
“It will be impossible for Americans to move from chaos to constructive progress unless we look across
the aisle and see not an enemy, but a potential partner for change,” says Daniel Lubetzky, one of Starts
With Us’ founders. “Opening our eyes to our shared fundamental values creates the basis for us to start
working together to get problems solved.”
Not only do people agree on core values, but they also have a shared desire to solve problems, with
overwhelming majorities of Republicans (82%) and Democrats (80%) saying it is very or extremely
important for citizens to be involved in finding solutions to the problems facing the country.
In response to the data, as well as feedback from its growing movement of more than 1.6 million
followers who are tired of division and dysfunction, Starts With Us, in collaboration with Convergence
Center for Policy Resolution, is launching Citizen Solutions. This new initiative will bring citizens together
to experience this hidden common ground for themselves and co-create solutions to seemingly
immovable and unsolvable issues.
“We know citizens are eager to take matters into their own hands, but they’re skeptical of their ability to
make a meaningful difference,” says Ashley Phillips, Head of Programs at Starts With Us. “Citizen
Solutions will give people a new way to make their voices — as well as the voice of consensus — heard
in order to help prevent the most extreme voices from dominating news and policymaking.”
Through an innovative deliberative dialogue process, Citizen Solutions will convene a group of citizens
with divergent views and an array of technical and lived experiences to develop state-level consensus
proposals on issues such as gun safety, women’s health, and criminal justice reform. The proposals will
then be shared digitally, empowering the public to weigh in and help produce a broad representation of the majority view. Eventually the public will be able to use the proposals as they’d like, including to
increase media and politician accountability and to encourage leaders to make change.
“Our time-tested approach to collaborative dialogue consistently demonstrates that people of wildly
divergent perspectives can find common ground on divisive issues,” says David Eisner, CEO and
President of Convergence. “Together with Starts With Us, we’re excited to apply these methods to a
scalable new model that empowers citizens to actively participate in our democracy and, in so doing,
help America fully realize its potential.”
Citizen Solutions is part of a suite of Starts With Us programs addressing toxic tribalism. To learn more,
visit www.startswith.us/citizensolutions.
This nationwide poll was conducted May 11–15, 2023, using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-
based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,003 adults. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.3 percentage points.
The full question wording and results are available at www.startswith.us/citizensolutions.
About Starts With Us
Starts With Us is a rapidly growing civic movement equipping Americans to overcome toxic tribalism and
solve our most challenging problems. In addition to 1.6 million followers committed to engaging
constructively across lines of difference, Starts With Us’ mission is supported by 220+ ideologically
diverse leaders across a variety of industries — from sports, media, and entertainment to faith,
academia, and business. To learn more, visit www.startswith.us.
About Convergence
Convergence is the leading organization bridging divides to solve critical issues through collaborative
problem-solving across ideological, political, and cultural divisions. For a decade and a half, Convergence
has brought together leaders, doers, and experts to build trusting relationships, identify breakthrough
solutions, and form unlikely alliances for constructive consensus-based change on seemingly intractable
issues. Convergence’s process is improving the lives of Americans and strengthening democracy for a
more resilient and collaborative future. Learn more at www.ConvergencePolicy.org.
About NORC at the University of Chicago
NORC at the University of Chicago is an independent research institution that delivers reliable data and
rigorous analysis to guide critical programmatic, business, and policy decisions. Since 1941, NORC has
conducted groundbreaking studies, created and applied innovative methods and tools, and advanced
principles of scientific integrity and collaboration. Today, government, corporate, and nonprofit clients
around the world partner with NORC to transform increasingly complex information into useful
knowledge. NORC conducts research in five main areas: Economics, Markets, and the Workforce;
Education, Training, and Learning; Global Development; Health and Well-Being; and Society, Media, and
Public Affairs. Learn more at www.norc.org.
