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<H1 class=title-news><FONT size=4>Class Conflict Awareness Rose Significantly
>From 2009 To 2011: Report </FONT></H1>
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1/11/12 05:24 PM ET<SPAN class="vborder-dashed margin_0_2"> </SPAN>Updated:
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<P><FONT size=4>Significantly more Americans see "very strong" or "strong" class
conflict between the rich and poor, according to a survey released Wednesday
</FONT><A
href="http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/01/11/rising-share-of-americans-see-conflict-between-rich-and-poor/"
target=_hplink><FONT size=4>by the Pew Research Center</FONT></A><FONT size=4>.
The results show that Americans think that conflicts between the rich and poor
are stronger than immigrant and native born, black and white and young and
old.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>In 2009, 47 percent of respondents said there were "very strong"
or "strong" conflicts between the rich and poor. In 2011, 66 percent saw the
same, possibly signaling that the "We are the 99 percent" rhetoric of Occupy
Wall Street has had an impact. The ongoing economic recession also may have
magnified class differences as income inequality has risen, continuing a trend
occurring in American society since </FONT><A
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/26/income-inequality_n_1032632.html"
target=_hplink><FONT size=4>at least the 1970s</FONT></A><FONT
size=4>.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Democrats </FONT><A href="http://bit.ly/szvJyi"
target=_hplink><FONT size=4>in general</FONT></A><FONT size=4> -- and President
Barack Obama in specific -- have also spoken out about income inequality. "Now,
this kind of inequality -- a level that we haven't seen since the Great
Depression -- hurts us all," </FONT><A
href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/07/full-text-barack-obama-speech"
target=_hplink><FONT size=4>Obama said in a December speech</FONT></A><FONT
size=4> in Kansas. The GOP front-runner for the presidency, Mitt Romney, has in
turn charged Obama with promulgating the "politics of envy" and </FONT><A
href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/mitt-romney-bain-capital-south-carolina_n_1198710.html"
target=_hplink><FONT size=4>said that discussions over the distribution of
wealth</FONT></A><FONT size=4> were "fine" to talk about "in quiet rooms in
discussions about tax policy."</FONT></P>
<P><A
href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1111/Occupy_Wall_Street_is_winning.html"
target=_hplink><FONT size=4>Media mentions</FONT></A><FONT size=4> about income
inequality have also risen significantly since the start of the Occupy Wall
Street movement.</FONT></P>
<P><A
href="http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/01/11/rising-share-of-americans-see-conflict-between-rich-and-poor/"
target=_hplink><FONT size=4>The Pew survey found</FONT></A><FONT size=4> that
whites had significantly larger increases in perception of class conflict than
blacks and hispanics, rising to 65 percent from 43 percent in 2009. Seventy-four
percent of blacks and 61 percent of hispanics see class conflicts, increasing by
single digits from 2009.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>The perception of class conflict has also intensified -- 30
percent see "very strong conflicts," a figure that doubled from 2009. marking
the largest increase since the question was first asked in 1987. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Other social conflicts were less intense. Thirty-eight percent
of Americans saw "very strong" or "strong" conflicts between blacks and whites,
virtually unchanged from 2009, and 62 percent saw "very strong" or "strong
conflict" between immigrants and native born, up 7 percent from 2009.
Thirty-four percent saw "very strong" or "strong" conflicts between young and
old, up 11 percent from 2009.</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT size=4>Grievances, however, against the wealthy did not increase, with
46 percent saying that rich people "are wealthy mainly because they know the
right people or were born into wealthy families," and 43 percent saying they are
wealthy because "of their own hard work, ambition or education."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Young people -- suffering the </FONT><A
href="http://www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea13.htm" target=_hplink><FONT
size=4>highest levels of unemployment</FONT></A><FONT size=4> -- see class
conflict significantly more than older people, with 71 percent of people aged 18
to 34 seeing "very strong" or "strong" class conflicts while just 55 percent of
people over 65 see them.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT size=4>Republicans see class conflict less than Democrats and
independents. GOP leaders have dismissed calls to raise taxes on the wealthy,
calling it "class warfare." Still, 55 percent of Republicans see "strong" or
"very strong" class conflicts in comparison to 73 percent of Democrats and 68
percent of
independents.</FONT></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>