Efficacy and Public Opinion

Although just one poll, and any generalizations are difficult – particularly when based upon one poll, there’s much to chew on in the latest Fox News/Opinion Dynamics survey that suggests part of the deeper underlying political dynamic.

Blog focus (for example, here) has been upon the percentage of Democrats (34%) who respond “no” to whether “Do you personally want the Iraq plan President Bush announced last week to succeed?” Or, the percentage of Democrats (38%) who think other Democrats “want [the Iraq plan President Bush announced last week] to fail and for him to withdraw U.S. troops in defeat?”

Those figures, alone, are disconcerting as to the percentage of Democrats who favor U.S. defeat. It goes along with the smaller percentage (36%) of Democrats (compared to 46% of Independents and 61% of Republicans) who think, “If the United States loses the war in Iraq, do you believe terrorists would be more likely to be…encouraged to attack the United States again…? Democrats are, apparently, more sanguine than others about the prospects of direct consequences of defeat to their fellow citizens.

A question, then, arises whether being more relaxed about homefront dangers from terrorists precedes being more willing to accept, indeed favor, defeat for the U.S. in Iraq, or whether negativity toward the U.S. and its policies abroad leads to generating a more relaxed attitude toward the prospect of domestic terrorist attacks.

There’s a large body of research that “resilience” is heavily determinative of how one weathers catastrophes. There’s a large body of research that “efficacy” is heavily determinative of how one approaches problems, and if one overcomes them.

Deeper in the poll is the question, “Compared to this time last year, do you feel more optimistic or less optimistic for the coming year about each of the following?”
· Your personal happiness: Democrats 59%, Independents 60%, Republicans 72%
· Your family’s financial situation: Democrats 41%, Independents 40%, Republicans 58%

Democrats, and most Independents, lean toward governmental solutions to problems, compared to a tendency among Republicans toward more individualized, personal and self-responsibility solutions to problems. One looks to others to solve problems when one is less confident that oneself or others themselves can, and even then may be pessimistic that government can but tend that way by default. In other words, the Republican tendency is toward higher resilience and efficacy.

One can argue various causes or experiences that lead toward resilience and efficacy. However, one can’t argue (or shouldn’t) that a greater degree of resilience and efficacy are important to overcoming adversity and obstacles. Related, whether “objective” conditions are harsh or discouraging or not, it’s more likely that one will overcome when resilient and efficacious, and more likely that one will lose when defeatist or negative.

This isn’t just a matter of “the little engine that could” or of “the man who thinks he can,” or of “quitters are automatically losers.” It’s a matter that will affect the very lives and deaths of those in the MidEast and in the U.S.