Who are the Purples? Accounting for 18% of Americans, the Purples are a widely divergent group, swinging from conservative to liberal on key issues, while marching to their own drummer on others. Purples reflect the most diverse range of political party identifications, and their views span the political spectrum, from progressive to moderate to very conservative. And yet, they are the least likely to call themselves Libertarians or Independents. They identify as Republican (46%), Democrat (32%) and Independent (21%). More than half of them voted for Donald Trump, and less than a third voted for Hillary Clinton. Heavy TV watchers, they are the group most likely to watch TV news on a daily basis, but they are equally likely to tune into CNN as Fox News.
Like Reds, most Purples believe mainstream media drives the US political agenda. They tend to feel the government should help everyone achieve the American Dream, strongly believing in a shared duty to help the less fortunate, despite prizing the ideal of freedom above the importance of equality. Like Blues, they have mixed views about affirmative action, with most believing it levels the playing field. Most Purples hold a favorable view of police, saying they protect and serve local communities and citizens, and they think that US laws sufficiently protect minority rights. In agreement with Blues, most Purples believe foreigners immigrate to America for a chance to work for a better life. However, even more so than Reds, Purples would prefer that religion play more of a role in public life. They are split on views about Islam, with a slight majority thinking it encourages violence.
Some 68% prefer a traditional definition of marriage, although they have mixed views on women’s role, with a sizable minority believing a woman’s primary responsibility is to her children and home, though the majority feel that both men and women should share duties equally. They believe that abortion is a private decision between a woman and her doctor. Including more men than women, most Purples live in cities. The majority are between 30 and 49; Purples have the lowest number of senior citizens among their ranks. Although they include fewer African Americans than Blues, Purples have the greatest proportion of Asians and Hispanics. Purples are the most religious of the three ideological groups, with the vast majority characterizing themselves as moderately to very religious, mostly Catholic followed by Christian. Purples have the greatest proportion of married people and the lowest share of divorcees. About one quarter are single.
Purples are by far the happiest and most satisfied group, with the highest estimation of their overall happiness and satisfaction with their personal, family, business and social lives. Members of this group are most likely to say that their lives are turning out as expected and they have the most confidence in their ability to make a difference in their communities, cities, states, the nation and the world. They are more likely than other groups to take public actions based on learning something from fictional movies or TV shows, and make themselves heard by contacting newspapers, call in shows, and public officials or filing consumer complaints.
Purples are the group most doubtful that fictional TV shows and movies, whether they intend to or not, contain political messages. Nevertheless, like Blues, they say they learn about political and social issues from entertainment fare and they enjoy diverse entertainment options, including content produced in other countries and offerings that might be in bad taste or reflect values other than their own. Purples enjoy educational, reality and children’s programming more than Blues or Reds. They don’t much like business shows or soap operas, but they enjoy almost everything about the shows they do like – including the humor, suspense and emotional impact – but they especially appreciate their educational value.
Compared to Blues and Reds, Purples are much more likely to say they watch shows to be inspired and to gain new insights; to think about meaningful issues and to have discussions, both while they watch and afterwards. They like shows that give them an adrenaline boost and that give them a chance to experience feelings that are difficult to allow in everyday life. More than half have watched Saturday Night Live, a preference they share with Blues, but only Purples rank The Voice and Dancing with the Stars among their most-watched shows.
