A new New York Times/CBS News poll reveals that tea party supporters — a group that makes up 18 percent of all Americans — are both wealthier and more well educated than the general population (somewhat surprising given their difficulties with basic grammar rules). The typical tea-party supporter is a white, male, married Republican whose problems with the Obama administration are based on ideological, political reasons, as opposed to anxieties about his “personal economic situation.”
While he or she may look and act like any ordinary Republican, the tea-party supporter contingent is in fact more conservative on most issues than the Republican base, and tea partiers are also an older bunch in comparison to the entire GOP base. And while the typical Republican would say he is “dissatisfied” with Washington, a tea-party supporter would describe himself as “angry.”
But there is one thing tea-party supporters and the country’s liberal contingent can agree upon: The majority of tea partiers said they do not believe that Sarah Palin — who addressed tea-party backers in Boston this morning — is qualified to be president.
Poll Finds Tea Party Backers Wealthier and More Educated [NYT]
