NEW: Survey Shows Buckley Fellows are More in Touch with Voters Than Ivy League Graduates Overall and the Elite 1%

A recent survey from the The Committee to Unleash Prosperity on the widening gulf between elite perspectives and general voter sentiment found that Americans who graduated from Ivy League universities and those in the top 1% differ widely from the average voter on numerous public policy issues.

However, Buckley Fellows broke the mold. According to a Buckley Institute survey of its nearly 800 student fellows, Buckley Fellows are much more in touch with the average voter than are average members of the country’s educational or financial elite.

When asked whether the United States provides too much freedom or has too much government control, an alarming 55% of Ivy League graduates said too much freedom while only 15% said too much control. This departed substantially from the 16% of Americans who said too much freedom and 57% who selected too much control.  

Buckley Fellows aligned much more with the average voter than other Ivy Leaguers with only 8% saying too much freedom compared to 36% who selected too much control.

In response to whether they trust government to “do the right thing most of the time,” only 16% of American voters said they trust the government. Among Ivy League graduates, a shocking 89% do.

By contrast, Buckley Fellows shared much of the skepticism of American voters, with only 32% trusting the government.

When asked how they felt about rationing various goods and services to fight climate change, an overwhelming majority of Ivy League graduates supported restrictions: 68% for air-conditioning, 89% for gas and electricity, and 70% for non-essential air travel.

Buckley Fellows, on the other hand, expressed significantly greater distaste for restricting air-conditioning (0% in favor), electricity (2% in favor), gasoline (14%), and non-essential air travel (6%) than even voters (13%, 28%, 28%, 22% respectively).

Many Yale graduates become leaders in the board room, the courtroom, and in Congress. But if Yalies are going to lead the country, they need to understand it. Better than the rest of the Ivy League, Buckley’s almost 800 Buckley Fellows understand what average Americans want.

Check out the full survey from The Committee to Unleash Prosperity here.