• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, January 26, 2012

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 66% of the adult public believes there are “very strong” or “strong” conflicts between the rich and the poor, an increase of 19 percentage points since 2009. Not only have perceptions of class conflict grown more prevalent, but these disputes are intense. According to the study, 30% of Americans say there are “very strong conflicts” between poor people and rich people, double the proportion that offered a similar view in July 2009 and the largest share expressing this opinion since the question was first asked in 1987.

As a result, conflicts between rich and poor now rank ahead of three other potential sources of group tension:

• Between immigrants and the native born
• Between blacks and whites
• Between young and old

In 2009, more survey respondents said there were strong conflicts between immigrants and the native born than said the same about the rich and the poor.

About two-thirds of the public say that there are strong conflicts between the rich and the poor, and 30% of say these conflicts are “very strong.” An additional 36% say these differences are “strong,” while 23% view them as “not very strong.” Only 7% say there are no conflicts between rich and poor Americans, while the remainder does not offer an opinion.

While the survey results show a significant shift in public perceptions of class conflict in American life, says the report, they do not necessarily signal an increase in grievances toward the wealthy. Nor do these data suggest growing support for government measures to reduce income inequality.

64% of all adults with family incomes of less than $20,000 a year report serious conflicts between the rich and poor, a view shared by 67% of those earning $75,000 a year or more.

Moreover, the perceptions of class conflicts have grown in virtual lock step across all income groups since 2009, rising by 17 percentage points among those earning less than $20,000 and by 18 points among those making $75,000 or more.

The increase is slightly larger among middle-income Americans earning between $40,000 and $75,000. Among this group, the share who say there are strong class conflicts increased by 24 points, from 47% in 2009 to 71% in the latest survey.

Young people ages 18 to 34 are more likely than those 35 or older to see “strong” conflicts between the rich and poor. According to the survey, 71% of these young adults say there are major disagreements between the most and least affluent, a 17 percentage point increase since 2009.

67% of Baby Boomers, ages 50 to 64, are nearly as likely to say there are serious conflicts between the upper and lower classes, a 22-point increase in the past two years. Among those ages 35 to 49, 64% see serious class conflicts.

Older adults are the least likely to see serious disagreements between the classes, but the proportion who express this view increased from 36% two years ago to 55% in the current survey.

Democrats and political liberals are far more likely than Republicans or conservatives to say there are major conflicts between rich people and poor people.

At the same time, in just two years the perceptions of class conflict have increased significantly among members of both political parties as well as among self-described independents, conservatives, liberals and moderates. The result is that majorities of each political party and ideological point of view now agree that serious disputes exist between Americans on the top and bottom of the income ladder.

Views of class conflicts increased the most among political independents, swelling by 23 percentage points to 68% in the current survey. Two years ago, fewer than half of all independents said there were major disagreements between the classes. Similarly, perceptions of class conflict among ideological liberals increased by 23 percentage points to 79% in the past two years .

46% of the respondents feel that most rich people “are wealthy mainly because they know the right people or were born into wealthy families.” But nearly as many, 43%, say wealthy people became rich “mainly because of their own hard work, ambition or education.” Politically, though, there is some disparity in the attitudes.

Attitudes of Republicans and Democrats on this issue are mirror opposites of each other. Nearly six-in-ten Democrats say wealth is mainly due to family money or knowing the right people. An identical proportion of Republicans say wealth is mainly a consequence of hard work, ambition or having the necessary education to get ahead. Political independents fall in between.

Attitudes toward the wealthy, says the report, specifically how the rich got that way, are somewhat correlated with views on class conflict. According to the study, those who believe the rich acquired their fortunes mainly through their own efforts are significantly less likely than those who hold the contrary view to say there are strong conflicts between the classes (60% vs. 72%).

In conclusion, the report notes that a recent Gallup survey found that a smaller share of the public believes that income inequality is a problem “that needs to be fixed” today than held that view in 1998 (45% vs. 52%). And when asked to rate the importance of various alternative federal policies, fewer than half (46%) say “reducing the income and wealth gap between the rich and the poor” is “extremely” or “very” important. In contrast, 82% say policies that encourage economic growth should be high priorities.

This report is based on findings from a Pew Research Center telephone survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,048 adults ages 18 and older living in the continental United States, including an oversample of 808 adults ages 18 to 34. The data are weighted to produce a final sample that is representative of the general population of adults in the continental United States. Margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points for results based on the total sample and 4.4 percentage points for adults ages 18 to 34 at the 95% confidence level.

For additional information about the Pew Survey, please visit here.