Who are the Reds? Accounting for 35% of Americans, Reds are the demographically oldest group and the most likely to live in suburban or rural areas. Protecting freedom is more important than ensuring equality to Reds, who feel it’s not the government’s role to help everyone achieve the American Dream. They lean toward perceiving immigrants as people who want to be handed a better life. Reds want religion to play more of a role in public life, and a majority agree it is our duty to help the less fortunate.
Many feel that the Islamic religion encourages violence. Reds lean toward prioritizing security over liberty, and they hold a favorable view of police, strongly believing they protect and serve local communities and citizens. Most assert that US laws sufficiently protect minority rights, and they firmly believe that affirmative action rewards some groups at the expense of others. Some 70% of Reds adhere to a traditional definition of marriage as only between one man and one woman, a marked difference to the 97% from ten years ago. Most Reds believe that both men and women should share parental and household duties equally. They hold mixed views about abortion, but a majority leans toward viewing it as a private decision between a woman and her doctor.
Reds believe mainstream media drives the US political agenda. About half male and female, a majority of Reds are married; they have the fewest singles and the highest percentage of divorcees. Reds are the least racially diverse group, and more than two-thirds say they are moderately to very religious, mostly Catholic or Christian. Describing themselves as moderate, conservative or very conservative, the majority identify as Republican, but almost a third call themselves Independents. Some two- thirds voted for Donald Trump and 8% for Hillary Clinton. Compared to the rest of the nation, Reds have the least confidence in their ability to make a difference in their communities, the nation, or the world.
Most Reds watch TV news daily (usually Fox News) or at least once a week. Reds tend to be the least familiar with the 50 entertainment TV shows on our list, as they watch entertainment TV far less than other groups, with 18% reporting less than two hours per week. When they do watch TV or films, Reds prefer action-adventure. They dislike talk shows more than the other groups. Compared to Blues and Purples, fewer Reds enjoy a show for its ability to inspire. They are also least likely to enjoy moments of sadness and poignancy in the stories they watch, and they tend not to watch shows in order to experience feelings that are difficult to allow in everyday life.
Reds are less interested in seeking out diverse entertainment options, including entertainment that originates outside of the US, or that reflects taste or values different from their own. They are least likely to say they have learned about politics and social issues from fictional movies or TV; in fact, they had the highest proportion of people in any group saying they never do so. Reds are the least likely to use shows to stimulate discussion, or provide new insights. Reds enjoy crime procedurals such as NCISand the dark fantasy Supernatural.
