Modernists and Heartlanders - subcultures in US society

American Demographics, Feb, 1997 by Paul H. Ray

Cultural creatives are on the leading edge of change. But more than three-fourths of American adults belong to the other two subcultures, according to the American LIVES typology. Six subgroups exist within these two subcultures.

MODERNISTS are 47 percent of adults (88 million). They are more likely to be men than women, but their age profile, educational attainment, and income fit neatly into national averages. A group this large is far from uniform and has within its broad confines four subgroups, largely determined by social status:

Economic Conservatives are the most affluent segment of Modernists, at about 6 percent of adults (almost 11 million). These are upper-middle to upper-class free-market conservatives, with 59 percent in the top one-fourth of household incomes. They believe in the American Way, with a materialist focus on success and a heavy dose of the work ethic. Though they are often interested in personal growth, they are likely to oppose those who preach ecological sustainability. The Modern world favors this group, who strongly believe the world should not change.

Conventional Moderns are 12 percent of adults (23 million).T hey dislike both Heartland and Cultural Creatives, values and beliefs. They stay strongly within mainstream opinion, seeing only Modernist beliefs as "correct." They are more cynical and less success-oriented than are other Moderns. Yet they are about as affluent as the previous group, with 61 percent in the top income quartile.

Striving Centers are 14 percent of adults, (26 million). Most in this group are lower-middle to middle class, and they are intensely interested in moving up the income ladder. They yearn for spiritual meaning, but upward mobility is their real creed. Many belong to ethnic minorities. Striving Centers mix cultural and religious conservatism with many of the same person-centered concerns of Cultural Creatives.

Alienated Modernists are 15 percent of adults, or 29 million Americans. Half of them hold blue-collar jobs. Many are "sliders" who have lost better-paying jobs, while others have poor job prospects. Clearly, America in the 1990s is not working for them. They are the most alienated and cynical group, but are by no means the worst off. Their alienation stems more from dashed prospects than from poverty.

HEARTLANDERS are defined by their traditional and conservative values and beliefs. They are, on average, older and less-educated than Modernists or Cultural Creatives, but this group also includes upper-middle-class people who are conservative in both a cultural and economic sense. Heartlanders are 29 percent of the adult population (56 million). Retirees and the poor bring the median family income of this group down to $24,000.

Middle-class Heartlanders are more sympathetic to business interests, while lower-class members are more sympathetic to environmental protection. This family-centered group shares a low regard for civil liberties and is much more likely to trust the political teachings of religious leaders. A number of ethnic minorities are also in this subculture, as well as union supporters who may be more politically liberal.

Heartlanders include two subgroups:

Double Conservatives are 8 percent of adults, or 15 million Americans. This group forms the core of the religious right. This cultural conservatism draws on symbols and images of an idealized past. The higher they are in social class, the more they also take on big-business conservatism.

Lower-status Heartlanders are 22 percent of adults, or 41 million Americans. They include many elderly people with low incomes and education, for whom conservatism is rooted in longing for a simpler world. Surveys show that many in this group are pro-ecology and anti-big-business.

The other side of this group is younger people in the lower classes of American society. They tend to be traditional but have also absorbed much of modern culture. Many in this group are conflicted about values, for their traditional beliefs often do not fit well into their program for economic survival.

Heartlanders have difficulty handling complexity and the modern world, and they are suspicious of change. As time goes by, their numbers are likely to decline; their current median age is about 53, and Heartlanders are dying faster than they are being replaced by younger people.