Surprise: American voters actually largely agree on many issues, including topics like abortion, immigration and wealth inequality

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Dante Chinni, Michigan State University and Ari Pinkus, Michigan State University

(THE CONVERSATION) As the presidential election campaign heats up, media coverage suggests Americans are hopelessly divided and headed for a difficult fall – perhaps also a tense January.

But that isn’t the whole story, according to reporting and poll results from the American Communities Project, a journalism and research effort we lead that is based at Michigan State University that analyzes the country by looking at 15 different community types.

In fact, on issues and policies where government has a serious role – such matters as taxes, immigration, the state of the economy and even abortion – a 2023 survey from the American Communities Project, or the ACP, found a great deal of agreement in the 15 community types we examine.

But when the topic turned to “culture war” issues (religion, gender identity, guns, family values), the differences were deep.

That divide between talking about “policy” and talking about “culture” – between arguing about “what we want” versus “who we are” – is having a hugely divisive impact on the nation. And if politics and governing are going to get more productive, Americans need to find a way to move past the issues around cultural identity.

Broad...