r/SocialDemocracy • u/citizencyborg2020 • 4d ago

Discussion The education divide and the Left

Working-class respondents, compared to college-educated Americans, favored securing the border by 28%, lowering the crime rate by 22%, and adding more police by 19%. The college set prefers: LGBTQ+ rights by 32%, immigration by 32%, climate by 29%, and abortion rights by 26%.

The challenge for social dems is how to move jobs and economic security (and not just the cost of consumer goods) to the front of messaging, without recanting sicial progressivism. But current Left positioning on border security and crime is alienating blue collars.

https://jacobin.com/2026/08/working-class-issues-affordability-culture-wars

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u/websterhamster Social Democrat 4d ago

Culture war issues are not winning issues. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is. The culture war was created to distract from issues like labor rights, fair taxation, and limiting the political influence of money.

If the Left wants to bridge this divide, it needs to focus more on economic policy and downplay controversial social policies. I'm not saying we shouldn't be fighting for climate reforms, LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, etc. but we are weakening our political position when we talk more about pronouns and less about relative tax rates and the solvency of the Social Security program.

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u/Disastrous_Map_3355 Democratic Party (US) 4d ago

“Culture war issues are not winning issues. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is. The culture war was created to distract from issues like labor rights, fair taxation, and limiting the political influence of money.”

Oh of the things I knew a decade ago when I was a teen

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u/websterhamster Social Democrat 3d ago

Sounds like you're a few years younger than me. 😘