America at a Crossroads: Can We Save Our Union?
A study by the Siena College Research Institute (SCRI) shows that the United States and its citizens are profoundly divided. Shockingly, despite vehement disagreements on election choices and many current issues, our citizens are guided by the same core American values including a commitment to equality, liberty and progress.
SCRI reports data from online interviews with a nationally representative online sample of 6,077 Americans and extensive open-ended interviews with 20 citizens. Questions include respondents’ vote choice in 2020, whether the election was stolen from Donald Trump, or if much of the mainstream media is fake, display profound differences among Americans. However, 34 questions asking Americans whether many central tenets of our union are words that they live by, show that Americans say that they share the same values.
Our interviewees told us that they love our country, see it as the land of opportunity, but they are worried that we are torn apart by issues of race, that we have become selfish and that our media, social media and political leaders do more to divide us than to unite us.
This study invites Americans to simultaneously consider both our divisions and our shared values and to decide how to contribute to the preservation of this “great experiment” personally, collectively and politically.
“Are we divided, Yes. Do we share core values, Absolutely. Are we proud to be Americans, for the most part. Do we think our great experiment will weather this storm, we’re somewhat hopeful, but concerned.”
Don Levy
Director
Siena College Research Institute
Take A Shorter Version of the American Values Survey
The abbreviated American Values Survey below asks two questions of each type (equality, liberty, and progress) and will display your results after you click the “Submit” button. You will have the option to take the full survey after you submit your responses to this shorter version if you click the “Continue” button.