According to the Social Pressure Index, most Americans are reluctant to express their honest opinions on important political issues

A shocking new study shows a dramatic difference between what Americans publicly believe on important issues and what they do Really Feeling when discussing polarizing political topics in private.

Populace, a Massachusetts-based think tank focused on understanding people’s private views and values ​​rather than what they say publicly, recently unveiled its first Social Pressure Index. The results suggest that Americans do not trust the government or the media and are hesitant to publicly admit their true feelings on a range of important issues. This could be crucial given the upcoming presidential election, as many Americans feel pressure to publicly support a particular candidate or issue but privately would not necessarily vote that way.

“I think it will be really fascinating to see what happens on election night. I also think people will be surprised not only by the presidential election, but also by some of the ballot initiatives and things like that that will play a role.” “That’s very different than what public opinion suggests,” Todd Rose said , CEO of Populace, told Fox News Digital.

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Rose said polls are “not bad” but they are flawed because Americans are not honest about their personal views.

“Polls assume you’re telling the truth, and we’re not doing that,” Rose said, noting that he began conducting private polling after former President Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016 stunned pollsters.

A staggering 61% of Americans admitted to silencing their true beliefs, and 58% of Americans believe that most people cannot express their honest opinions on sensitive topics, even if they believe they are right the study.

Rose said the Social Pressure Index is the largest private opinion study ever conducted, and it takes into account both societal pressures to have the “right” opinion and the extent to which those pressures affect what Americans say are ready to say. He said the study covered 64 of the most contentious issues in American society and included a large sample of over 19,000 respondents and more than two dozen demographic groups.

“Across these 64 issues, every single demographic group in the country, every single one of them, is completely lying on multiple issues, to the point that what they say publicly is not what they privately believe as a group,” said Rose.

Rose called it “terrifying” that some public dishonesty could have political implications.

For example, he noted that the study found that “defund the police” appeared to be supported by a majority of Democrats for a while, but only 3% of Democrats privately supported it.

“I don’t think we would have gone the route we did on some things in Seattle and other things if we had known it was only 3%. And we’re seeing similar things like this right now. For example, the Americans write capital letters.” “Publicly, they say that unions are good for the economy. Privately, they don’t believe it,” Rose said.

Former President Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016 stunned many pollsters. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

“The good news is when you go beyond what we say publicly to what we believe privately. “I was shocked at the level of commonality we have as Americans,” Rose continued. “Almost all population groups in the country agree on two-thirds of these questions – they are on the same side.”

Rose found it “crazy” that so many Americans agreed on important issues, at least privately, when the nation was so divided.

“What excites me most is not just that we agree, but what we agree on. There is an incredible private preference for meritocracy in America, whether it’s college admissions, hiring decisions, promotion decisions, or who gets to be in the C-suite, the way we view different groups treat,” Rose said.

“Three-quarters of Americans across all demographics prefer to live in a meritocracy rather than the things we have been doing recently,” he continued. “And I think that’s really good news for the future of the country.”

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, with many respondents deeply concerned about the economy.

“One of the things that we thought touched on a number of different issues was a deep-rooted pessimism about the economy and the direction of the country,” Rose said.

The study found that Democrats are most likely to privately point out that the economy is thriving.

“Consistently, more than three-quarters of Americans say the economy is not good. And we asked in many different ways. We asked about their personal finances as they are now. We asked about the current economic situation.” “We asked whether the economy is better or worse now than it was five years ago. We asked in different ways,” Rise said.

“You can see without a doubt that most people privately recognize that the economy is not doing particularly well. Not surprisingly, the only group that privately says otherwise are registered Democrats,” he continued. “They pretty much consistently say, ‘I think the economy is great.'”

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The Social Pressure Index found “deep-rooted pessimism about the economy and the direction of the country,” said Todd Rose, CEO of Populace. (Photographer: Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Rose said many of the Democrats who insist the economy is thriving under the Biden-Harris administration admit their personal finances are “not so good.”

“When we ask about the country going in the wrong direction, we get an overwhelming majority of Americans of all walks of life who recognize that things are not good for the country,” Rose said.

The other thing that surprised Rose is Americans’ attitudes toward institutions overall.

“When it comes to government, we all know that there is a lot of distrust of government even in public opinion, even publicly. We asked the statement whether you trust the government to tell you the truth. And that’s it.” “Kind of a low bar, right? Not doing everything right, just telling me the truth,” Rose said.

“What’s really funny about this is that Democrats are the most likely public to say they trust the government, at 36%. Privately it is only 5%. Even they don’t trust the government to tell the truth,” Rose continued. “If you extend this to the media, we see something similar. Only 7% of the public privately trust the media to tell the truth.”

You can find the Social Pressure Index here.

How the data was obtained, the study summary states: “The primary methodology of the study was a list experiment (also known as the item count technique), a survey technique designed to maximize respondent privacy. Instead of asking directly.” To tell respondents their opinions on a range of sensitive topics, list experiments hide respondents’ answers as part of the methodological design by grouping answers to sensitive items with other items, thus reducing the biases caused by social desirability and non-response minimize.

“If tolerance of dissenting views and the courage to engage in the open, free exchange of ideas are hallmarks of a healthy democracy, then America’s epidemic of self-confidence should be viewed as a five-bell fireworks display that is devouring the cornerstones of representative government.” “Most Americans are hesitant “to express their honest opinions, not because they are afraid of disagreement, but because they are afraid of judgment,” Rose said in a statement ahead of his interview with Fox News Digital.

“When nearly two in three Americans admit they don’t feel comfortable speaking their minds, this collective silence can create the dangerous illusion of a country that is more fractured and polarized than it actually is,” Rose added. “The truth is that we are not as divided as we seem. We are becoming more and more afraid to speak out.”

According to Populace, “The survey was conducted from May 16, 2024 to June 24, 2024 and was conducted by YouGov.”

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