Galluping America
 

Probably the Gallup Poll organization knows as much about what the public thinks as anyone. Assuming people lie to poll takers equally.
Gallup say in the 50 years since Woodstock some attitudes have changed.
Religion and Pot
http://cellar.org/img/1&2.jpg
Interracial marriage and Abortion
http://cellar.org/img/3&4.jpg
Vote for a Woman or Black
http://cellar.org/img/5&6.jpg
Ideal family and Premarital sex
http://cellar.org/img/7&8.jpg
Woman's lifestyle and Same sex relations.
http://cellar.org/img/9&10.jpg

You'd never know it listening to politicians. :rolleyes:

You could say that #5, "if your party nominated a woman, would you vote for them?" could also be a measurement for how divided and politicized we have come as a country.

You might get the same numbers if you asked "if your party nominated a firetruck, would you vote for them?"

During WW II only 33% would vote for a firetruck but now it's 94%. Firetrucks have made great strides now only 2% behind black folks. ;)

Seriously though, I know what you mean, too many voters only want to know what party to decide who to vote for.
We're supposed to choose people to represent us but we've added a layer the founding fathers hadn't planned on.
Now we choose a party to choose the people who will represent us. When an elected person does something we don't like, we can't say they didn't do what the people who elected them wanted. They most certainly did, exactly what the party bosses and benefactors wanted, because that's who elected them.

The biggest jumps in all of the graphs was family size in 1988, down for small and up for big.
Reagan out, Bush in. What else?

I think the jump you're talking about happened in roughly 1996? Clinton got a second term, economy was booming... people like having babies more when they feel like they can afford them. But probably it was just because Jerry Maguire came out and everyone believed in love again. Or they saw Toy Story the year before and thought that more kids meant more chances to catch a toy in the act.

I think the big change started in about 1965 with the start of medicare, don't need a dozen brats hoping one or two of them will take care of you later.
That trend started to reverse about '95 or '96, maybe from the Republicans "Contract with America", the OK bombing, or Clinton's reelection.

The graph shows the concomitant increase and decrease in 1988, each starting continuing trends.
It helps to zoom in.

These or any other graphs of this ilk, depend on the accuracy of the data and how it's handled with round offs and fudge factors. I think the trends are trustworthy, and the levels probably ballpark. The changes in direct vs the timelines depend on how often the questions are asked so zooming in may not be more accurate.

Damned if I didn't misread the dates. It was '95.
Still significant and mysterious, FWIW.
Onwards.

Immigration changed to be more Hispanic after the 70s, and really gets going in the 80s/90s. The average Hispanic family has 0.8 more kids.

'95? OK, OJ, end of 55. ;)

The demise of the camera. Note the two different vertical scales. :eyebrow:

Fortunately for them, none of those camera companies are just camera companies anymore.

I wonder how the super-fancy-camera industry is doing, since their customers aren't the ones who will settle for a snapshot on a phone?

Like those huge white Canon telephoto lenses are still in demand. Got to have a camera to match. Imagine the nouveau riche with a brownie. :headshake

Where are the living at 26, 40, and 55?