90 Percent Of Americans Agree On Birth Control, Minimum Wage, Other Major Issues

The portrait of the United States painted in the news media is one of two Americas, but in actuality, most Americans agree on major issues — including God, birth control, and minimum wage.

It may come as a surprise that 90 percent of Americans agree on major issues such as the ones cited above, given the frequent news laments of “culture wars” and even discussion of secession after the previous election. (As suspected, the rumbles following Barack Obama’s second win most notably from Texas amounted to little once the furor died down.)

Recent polling on what Americans agree on across varying political stripes seems to directly contradict the idea we live in a country and a house divided, and ABC explains of political agreement among citizens vs. the narrative of a deep dissonance:

“Instead, drama and conflict are what feed this country’s party-driven politics, the news media, the bloggers and tweeters, even the pollsters who measure opinion. The 24-hour, left vs. right cacophony coming out of Washington tends to drown out any notes of national harmony.”

Even on the contentious issue of guns, drilling down on political specifics compared with a broader ideas about “freedoms” and “gun control” reveals that on the actual measures, most Americans agree on what is reasonable.

Four out of five support extending federal background checks to all gun buyers.

What about abortion? Polling indicates most Americans agree even on this hot-button issue, believing that by and large, abortion should be legal under some circumstances — suggesting political compromise is possible.

And birth control? Again, most Americans agree that it is “morally acceptable,” seemingly staunching the debate over the “religious freedom” to deny it to others.

The areas of general political agreement in U.S. citizens discovered by polling reveal Americans:

–believe in God.

–are very patriotic.

–consider preventing terrorism a very important foreign policy goal.

–admire those who get rich by working hard.

–think society should ensure everyone has equal opportunity to succeed.

–think it’s important to get more than a high school education.

–favor teaching sex education in public schools.

–find birth control morally acceptable.

–believe cloning humans would be morally wrong.

–believe it’s wrong for married people to have affairs.

–are interested in keeping up with national affairs.

–believe it’s their duty to always vote.

Do you agree with your fellow Americans on the issues above?