Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 9, 1995                   TAG: 9503090070
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RIGHT ON:

Conservative 42%

Moderate 40%

Liberal 17%

Who are the conservatives?

No gender gap here. Men and women lean right at the same rate.

GENDER

Men: 38%

Women: 38%

Blacks tend to be more moderate than whites. But there are still twice as many black conservatives as there are black liberals.

RACE

Whites: 15% liberals, 35% moderates, 39% conservatives.

Blacks: 16% liberals, 42% moderates, 33% conservatives.

Most age groups are conservative, although seniors tend to be slightly more conservative than others.

AGE

18-29: 36%

30-49: 35%

50-64: 40%

65 and up: 42%

Does college make us liberal? It would seem so. Those who have a college degree - or degrees - are more likely to be liberal, and less likely to be conservative, than those who don't have a college sheepskin. But those who have been to grad school are the only group where liberals actually outnumber conservatives.

Liberals Moderates Conservatives

EDUCATION

High school drop-outs: 14% 28% 39%

High school grads: 14% 36% 38%

Some college: 13% 36% 42%

College graduates: 20% 41% 35%

Advanced degrees: 26% 39% 22%

The moderate middle class: Income doesn't seem to have much effect on whether we're liberals or conservatives. But it might make us more moderate. Those making less than $10,000 were year are the least moderate group. Once we start making more than that, we start becoming centrists.

INCOME

Less than $10,000: 18% 22% 37%

$10,000-$19,99: 13% 44% 36%

$20,000-$29,999: 17% 42% 31%

$30,000-$39,999: 17% 31% 44%

$40,000 and up: 18% 38% 43%