The extensive detachment between the attitudes shared by the ‘leading’ 1% elites in American society and the rest of the population is laid bare by the results of an illuminating brand-new poll. Nearly 6 in 10 elite members think there is excessive specific liberty in America, more than two-thirds favor rationing of food and energy to combat environment modification, somewhere in between a half and two-thirds favor banning things like SUVs, gas stoves, air conditioning, and non-essential air travel, while two-thirds believe instructors ought to choose what children are taught. Meanwhile, 70% of those surveyed trust the Government to “do the best thing most of the time”, while amongst these groups, President Biden enjoys an 84% approval score.

The poll’s authors note that at a time when most Americans have suffered a loss of real take-home pay, 74% of members say they are financially better off than in the past. “The people who run America, or at least think they do, live in a bubble of their construction. They’ve isolated themselves from everyday America’s realities to such a degree their views about what is and what should be happening in this country differ widely from the average American,” it is observed.

The survey focused on American elites, but it appears that similar opinions are prevalent among influential groups in other countries as well. Populist movements are on the rise in Europe and other places, as a response to issues such as open borders, the attack on traditional values and cohesive societies by woke ideologies, and the extreme and irrational Net Zero project. In the UK, the recent news that steel production will cease in Port Talbot, resulting in the loss of approximately 3,000 local jobs, exemplifies this madness. Regardless of where you look, these concerns do not seem to affect the new elite class, who are shielded and isolated by generous state salaries, subsidies, and substantial payments from corporations and financial institutions that hold near-monopolistic control over commerce and ‘virtue’.

Last September, two surveys were conducted among a sample of 1,000 individuals in the United States who are considered part of the elite. This group is defined as individuals who have completed postgraduate education, have a household income exceeding $150,000 per year, and reside in densely populated areas. It is estimated that only about 1% of the total U.S. population meets these criteria. The findings of these surveys were titled ‘Them v U.S’ and were published by the Committee to Unleash Prosperity (CUP), a non-profit advocacy organization based in Maryland. The methodology used for these surveys was developed based on previous research that consistently showed notable differences in opinions between these elite individuals and the general population.

Many of the views expressed are frankly very scary, but they chime with the agenda promoted by similar elites across the world. Climate change is clearly an obsession of the very rich and highly educated, note the authors, adding: “An astonishing 77% of the elites– including nearly 90% of the elites who graduate from the top universities– favor rationing of energy, gas, and meat to combat climate change.” More than two-thirds of graduates from elite colleges would ban SUVs, gas stoves, air-conditioning, and most air travel. The cynical will note of course that current elite lifestyles suggest that the favored few have little expectation that such restrictions will apply to themselves– rather it is a new way of living for the sheeple, the fly-overs, the deplorables or the gammon, or whatever insult is in vogue at any one time.

Attempting to remove a steak dinner from many Americans and substituting it with a bean salad might be considered an unwise course of action, but elites are three times more likely to say there is too much individual freedom than all Americans. Almost six out of 10 graduates from elite colleges think there is too much freedom in a country that has always considered itself the ‘land of the free’.

The authors note that these elites have extraordinary political and societal powers. They determine what the conversation will be about on campus, in the legacy media, and corporate boardrooms. They put their trust in big government/media/business/ academia because they run all these institutions. As we have seen in the Daily Sceptic, large amounts of green billionaire money is available to promote their destructive agendas, and in the process censor any views not fully backing the pre-ordained narrative. Only in mainstream media and over-funded academia can the scientific process of climate science be deemed ‘settled’, only a Harvard professor can think there is ‘context’ in calling for the genocide of Jews, and only the very flexible of mind can believe that a woman has a penis. Only a very odd group can give the barely sentient President Biden an 84% approval rating.

The CUP highlights contrasting perspectives on personal freedom, with most Americans feeling that there’s a lack of it, unlike the 21% of elites who share this view. It’s unsurprising that some groups, seeking to transform society and the economy, would want to limit freedom, especially through powerful international organizations.