57% of Democrats think U.S. Constitution is “rooted in racism”
64% of Democrats believe U.S. Constitution is “sexist document”
49% of Democrats believe Constitution should be “mostly or completely rewritten”
80% of Independents have “very” or “somewhat” favorable opinion of Constitution
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL (July 13, 2022) – Strong majorities of Democrats and self-identified liberals believe the U.S. Constitution is “rooted in racism” and is a “sexist document.” Nearly half of Democrats also believe the Constitution should be “mostly or completely rewritten.”
A new poll by The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports of 1,025 likely voters found that 57% of Democrats and 65% of liberals believe the Constitution is “rooted in racism, and 64% of Democrats and 69% of liberals say the Constitution is “a sexist document that gives men advantages over women.”
The poll also found that 49% of Democrats think the Constitution should be mostly or completely rewritten.
Despite these grim views of America’s founding governing document, a full 74% Democrats and 69% of liberals have a “favorable” view of the Constitution.”
The poll was conducted from July 6-7, 2022. Among those surveyed in the poll, 33% were Republicans, 35% were Democrats, and 32% were Independents; 48% were men, 52% were women; 67% were white, 13% were black, 13% were Hispanic, and 7% identified as “other.”
See the poll questions and the cross tabs here [an Excel document].
Overall, 82% of likely voters, no matter their political affiliation, have a “very favorable” or “somewhat favorable” opinion of the Constitution. Among Democrats, only 20% have a “very unfavorable” or “somewhat unfavorable” opinion.
The strongest supporters of the Constitution were Republicans and conservatives. Among Republicans, 76% had a “very favorable” view of the Constitution and 17% had a “somewhat favorable” view, for a combined 93 percent favorable. For conservatives, it was nearly identical with 92% overall “favorable.”
Democrats See Constitution as Racist
Although only 35% of likely voters believe the Constitution is a document rooted in racism, 57% of Democrats and 65% of liberals agree with this statement. (On that question, 27% of Democrats “strongly agree” and 30% “somewhat agree”; 34% of liberals “strongly agree” and 31% “somewhat agree.”)
On the other end of the spectrum, 13% of Republicans and 19% of conservatives think the Constitution is rooted in racism. Among Independent voters, only 33% think the Constitution is inherently racist.
Most black voters (66%) agree that the U.S. Constitution is rooted in racism while 43% of Hispanic voters and 28% of white voters disagree with this statement. It is far more likely for young voters, those aged 19 to 39-years-old, to believe the Constitution is rooted in racism (49%), whereas 33% of 40 to 64-year-olds and only 21% of voters over the age of 65 agree.
Democrats See Constitution as Sexist
The poll found that just 41% of all likely voters believe . Meanwhile, 64% of Democrats and 69% of liberals believe this to be true. (On that question, 32% of Democrats said they either “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree”; 35% of liberals “strongly agree” and 34% “somewhat agree.”)
On the other hand, just 20% of Republicans and 22% of conservatives agree that the Constitution is a sexist document that gives men advantages over women. Likewise, only 37% of Independents believe the Constitution is rooted in sexism.
Most young voters (54%) tend to agree that the Constitution is sexist. On the contrary, only 29% of voters over the age of 65 and 37% of voters aged 40 to 64-years-old agree that the Constitution is a sexist document.
Perhaps most interestingly, less than half of women voters (49%) do not think the Constitution is inherently sexist.
Out with the Old, In with the New?
Incredibly, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest, active national constitution in world history. Written in 1787 and ratified in 1789, the U.S. Constitution has remained the supreme law of the land for more than 230 years and counting.
While 63% of likely voters believe the Constitution should remain as it is, the same cannot be said for those on the left end of the political spectrum. In fact, 49% of Democrats and 46% of liberals think the Constitution should be mostly or completely rewritten. (On that question, 20% of Democrats “strongly agree” and 29% “somewhat agree”; 21% of liberals “strongly agree” and 25% “somewhat agree.”)
In contrast, only 17% of Republicans, 21% of conservatives, and 28% of Independents believe the Constitution should be discarded and replaced.
Meanwhile, a majority of young voters (51%) agree the Constitution should be rewritten, whereas only 25% of middle-aged and just 17% of older voters agree with this statement.
The following statements from policy experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. If you’d like to interview a Heartland Institute expert on this topic or other topics, please contact Justin Haskins, the director of Heartland’s Socialism Research Center and primary author of the Heartland/Rasmussen survey, at [email protected], or contact Vice President and Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected]. You can also call/text Jim at 312-731-9364.
“Although it is disconcerting to see that most Democrats, liberals, and young Americans believe the Constitution is racist and sexist, it is interesting that these same groups overwhelmingly have favorable opinions in general about the Constitution. While the cognitive dissonance is dizzying, it is also good to see that most likely voters hold the Constitution in high esteem, do not believe it is rooted in racism or sexism, and do not believe it should be rewritten. As Americans, we are fortunate to live in a land where the Constitution ensures the government cannot infringe upon our basic liberties.”
Chris Talgo
Senior Editor
The Heartland Institute
“The Constitution has served as the bedrock for liberty in America for more than 230 years. To see these poll results, where half of Democrats want to see the Constitution ‘mostly or completely rewritten,’ is disheartening. President Calvin Coolidge once said, ‘To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race.’ It is a shame that half of self-identified Democrats want to throw that privilege away because of their disdain for the current perceived political landscape.”
Donald Kendal
Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
“Though these poll results seemingly portray widespread favorability towards the U.S. Constitution amongst survey respondents, young voters and Democrats seem particularly confused when it comes to rewriting the Constitution entirely. Only 9 percent of voters aged 19 to 39-years-old have a very unfavorable view of the Constitution; yet, 51 percent of the same demographic somewhat or strongly agree that it should be mostly or completely rewritten. Democrats appear to suffer from the same malady; only 6 percent of Democrats hold a very unfavorable view, while 49 percent believe that our country’s most important text should be done away with. I am not sure what to make of this.”
Jack McPherrin
Research Editor, Research Fellow
The Heartland Institute
The Heartland Institute is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems.
National Survey of 1,025 Likely Voters on the Constitution
Conducted July 6-7, 2022
By The Heartland Institute and Rasmussen Reports
Do you have a very favorable, somewhat favorable, somewhat unfavorable, or very unfavorable opinion of the U.S. Constitution?
58% – very favorable
24% – somewhat favorable
10% – somewhat unfavorable
4% – very unfavorable
5% – not sure
Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement?: “The U.S. Constitution is a document rooted in racism.”
15% – strongly agree
20% – somewhat agree
16% – somewhat disagree
44% – strongly disagree
5% – not sure
Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement?: “The U.S. Constitution is a sexist document that gives men advantages over women.”
17% – strongly agree
24% – somewhat agree
14% – somewhat disagree
42% – strongly disagree
4% – not sure
Do you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement?: “The U.S. Constitution should be mostly or completely rewritten.”
12% – strongly agree
19% – somewhat agree
14% – somewhat disagree
49% – strongly disagree
6% – not sure
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
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Justin Haskins is the director of the Socialism Research Center and editorial director at The Heartland Institute.
Chris Talgo is senior editor at The Heartland Institute and a research fellow for Heartland’s Socialism Research Center.
Donald Kendal is a graphic designer for The Heartland Institute, a research fellow for Heartland’s Socialism Research Center, and the host of Heartland’s In the Tank Podcast and Stopping Socialism TV.
Jack McPherrin is The Heartland Institute’s research editor, as well as a research fellow within Heartland’s Socialism Research Center.
Jim Lakely is the Vice President and Director of Communications of The Heartland Institute.
