Galvanize Action’s research reveals the issues that are top-of-mind for ideologically-moderate white women, like the economy. These critically-important issues impact all of us and our democracy! Explore the issue areas that Galvanize Action connects with moderate ideologically-women on below.
🔗 Economy | Healthcare | Childcare | Democracy | Reproductive Freedom | Immigration | Trans Rights | Voting
ECONOMIC SECURITY
The economy has always been front and center for women in our audience, framed as their ability to make ends meet. It is consistently and overwhelmingly the top issue ideologically-moderate white women report informing their voting behavior. Economic security shapes how they think about the health of the country, their hope for the future, and their trust in government. While most of our audience reports being able to cover basic expenses, many rely on government assistance and nearly everyone feels stressed by rising prices and the high cost of living.
Women in our audience are concerned about income inequality, and many recognize and attribute blame towards structural factors. However, while they support many economic benefit programs, scarcity mindset, low trust in government, and beliefs about who is “deserving” of help—rooted in colorblind racial resentment and just world view—can easily undermine their prosocial attitudes. These internalized biases can be weaponized by divisive “othering” narratives that blame marginalized groups for economic concerns. When our audience is struggling financially, or is worried about their future economic stability, it is harder to create a feeling of shared fate and belief in more collective solutions. It also makes it harder to gather attention for issues that feel farther removed from their immediate experience.
Economic security also impacts women’s own sense of agency. Due to internalized and benevolent sexism, ideologically-moderate white women don’t always see themselves having economic knowledge or political self-efficacy. This creates a barrier towards them taking action to improve their family and community’s economic stability, and allows for external influences to inform their beliefs about economic policy. Married women in our audience perceive their husbands as having the strongest influence on their economic views, and see their spouses as more ideologically-conservative in their beliefs. In order to unlock our audience’s civic engagement and commitment to defending the democratic rights of all Americans, we must address their economic security.
SUB ISSUES
Healthcare
Healthcare consistently shows up as a top concern for women in our audience, and shows promise as an onramp for more prosocial beliefs. Ideologically-moderate white women support many key democratic healthcare initiatives, including protecting Medicare and reducing prescription drug prices, although similar internalized biases related to fairness and trust in government prevent many from embracing universal healthcare. Those who have higher trust in institutions and value collective care are more supportive of government-run healthcare, and may be motivated to take action.
Healthcare is the issue where women in our audience report feeling more connected to their bravest self and most activated. It is also where ideologically-moderate white women see themselves as holding more progressive beliefs compared to others in their ecosystems. This creates a real opportunity to leverage their compassion into action.
Cost of Living
The high cost of living has been a stressor for women in our audience since we began our research, but the economic fallout from Covid-19 and ongoing inflation create a sense of instability that heightens their anxiety. Ideologically-moderate white women are feeling the economic turbulence of the past few years and report deep concerns for their economic future. While we see an understanding of the wealthy few getting ahead, many women in our audience don’t think the economy is working well for most people. Due to fairness beliefs women want economic initiatives to help “everyone,” and they reject policies that come across as helping other groups at their expense. This makes it easy for grievance-based disinformation (including anti-immigrant narratives) to prevent them from taking action in support of prosocial policies.
Childcare & Caregiving
Many women in our audience identify themselves as caretakers, for both younger and older generations, and they worry about being able to provide for their families. While ideologically-moderate white women support prosocial care policies, beliefs around who is “deserving” of care and lack of trust in government to implement policies “fairly” stand in the way of their civic engagement. Framing the conversation around those most directly impacted by (and seen as most “worthy” of) paid care policies, including children and elders, is an effective way to increase their willingness to take action.
NARRATIVES THAT MOVE MODERATE WOMEN
In order to reach and move our audience on economic security, we focus on narratives that validate their real and perceived economic pain, educate and grow their support for inclusive policies, and connect their frustration to action.
It’s Not You, it’s the System
This narrative addresses the internalized and benevolent sexism that can cause women in our audience to blame themselves for their economic instability, by shifting causal attribution from internal or outgroup factors to external, systemic causes. By bringing in a structural worldview and shared experience, this narrative also challenges colorblind racial resentment and just world view biases that create a willingness to point the finger at marginalized groups. Focusing on the systems and bad actors who benefit from inequality, the narrative offers a solution that increases agency through demanding fairer policies and accountability.
Examples:
These ads increased support for federal policies that reduce income inequality, and increased recognition that some current economic policies primarily benefit wealthy individuals and large corporations.
Good Government at Work
This narrative speaks to our audience’s low trust in government by showing tangible, relatable examples of how democratic institutions and prosocial policies create positive change for people like them. This helps reduce ambiguity and connect abstract policies to observable change. Using specific and familiar examples of government programs also helps increase our audience’s ability to store and recall positive associations in their memories. By using an abundance mindset and centering in-group care, it also works to counter beliefs that other groups are benefiting at their expense while helping build women’s sense of collective agency. Political versions of this narrative help show which party has our audience’s back when it comes to their economic well-being.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Women in our audience care about democracy, but it is not as top of mind as the economic issues that feel more relevant to their daily lives. For many, politics represents chaos and confrontation so disengagement feels like self care. Because they are highly motivated by concern for their own and their family’s safety, women in our audience can view political and social upheaval—including policy change and mass demonstrations—through a lens of insecurity and disorder, which activates their desire for control and latent authoritarianism. While many ideologically-moderate white women do identify threats to democracy in theory, their own financial stressors and lack of civic agency can prevent them from connecting the dots on anti-democratic policies in action. They may also disengage by simply “hoping for the best.”
Trust in government is a strong predictor of support for prosocial policies, which is why engaging our audience is critical. Many ideologically-moderate white women feel left behind by political and cultural change, and believe that people in power don’t care about them or understand the struggles they experience. Anti-equity beliefs stemming from colorblind racial resentment also pose a barrier to recognizing attacks on the democratic rights of marginalized communities. All of this feeds into low political self-efficacy and less willingness to take action, both from themselves and for others. Women in our audience do not show up through typical civic engagement actions, such as protesting or signing petitions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t care.
Ideologically-moderate white women are highly relational and motivated to act in small ways for the people and causes they care about. This can look like volunteering, donating, or helping out their neighbors. What’s important to them is feeling seen, skilled, and, most importantly, safe. Women in our audience are very afraid of relationship risk and the social fallout of making their voices heard. Fear of perceived conflict, partly stemming from internalized sexism, is a very real barrier to engagement. While ideologically-moderate white women are mostly to talk about politics and important issues with people in their inner circle with whom they have higher trust, they don’t see themselves having a lot of influence. In order to unlock our audience’s full civic potential, we need to help them feel valued, confident, and safe.
SUB ISSUES
Voting
Women in our audience largely vote. But they are not a monolith and their vote choice is informed by their internalized biases, issue attitudes, and influences in their relational and media ecosystems. Our modeling found authoritarianism, trust in government, internalized sexism, and colorblind racial resentment were strong predictors of vote choice for ideologically-moderate white women.
While many women in our audience view voting as a civic duty, others lack faith that their vote matters. Deep-seated doubts about their own agency and ability to affect real change, coupled with lack of trust in public officials to act in the interest of people like them, creates an opening for disengagement and anti-democracy narratives to break through. Addressing these concerns while educating our audience on democratic rights and systems will help support them to use their civic power to strengthen the country.
Reproductive Freedom
Ideologically-moderate white women hold many prosocial beliefs when it comes to abortion rights, and we witnessed an increase in support following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022. However, while women in our audience largely opposed the Dobbs decision, it was not a strong vote motivator. And since that time, we have seen abortion decrease as a top issue, suggesting that it feels less relevant and urgent in their lives.
The majority of ideologically-moderate white women support legal abortion and access to medication abortion, but they are more likely to favor some restrictions. Our audience sees abortion as a personal decision and doesn’t want women to be punished. However, gaps in their knowledge of the procedure and stigma about who is “deserving” of care create susceptibility to anti-abortion laws and disinformation about abortion safety.
Women in our audience see themselves as more progressive compared to many in their networks when it comes to abortion attitudes, so increasing issue salience and their comfort defending their beliefs is critical.
NARRATIVES THAT MOVE MODERATE WOMEN
In order to grow our audience’s civic engagement, we focus on narratives that validate their safety concerns, educate and make democracy feel more tangible and relevant in their lives, and lower the bar to action.
Change is Local
This narrative addresses the disconnection and distrust our audience feels for national politics, which lowers their engagement and allows for the spread of extremism. By focusing on what’s happening at the local level, we help our audience see that change is possible. And by making civic engagement look like an extension of civic life, the narrative makes taking action feel relatable and doable.
Future Focused
This narrative inoculates against a romanticized past grounded in conservative values and fears of an uncertain future by encouraging our audience to focus on a prosocial future. Using a lens of hope and agency, it invites women to imagine themselves as part of the solution for a better future for their families and the next generations. By showing what it takes to get to the positive vision of America, the narrative also helps raise awareness of defending democracy outside of elections.
Example:
SOCIAL COHESION
Women in our audience have high compassion and are concerned about how polarized and divisive society feels these days. However, concern is usually directed towards their ingroup. Ideologically-moderate white women have low familiarities with many marginalized groups, especially immigrants and folks in the transgender community, which makes it easier to ignore discrimination and believe harmful stereotypes. Unlike economic and other kitchen table issues, “othering” and discrimination are not reported as a priority for our audience. But the issue can activate strong safety fears and fairness beliefs when framed through grievance narratives.
When our audience feels financially unstable, it’s easy for a scarcity mindset and zero-sum thinking to prompt blame. Because many women in our audience believe in equality over equity, they see policies aimed at helping marginalized groups as “special treatment” happening at the expense of their ingroups. Colorblind racial resentment exacerbates these fears, turning communities of color into perceived cultural, economic, and political “threats.” At the same time, government actions that take away the civil and civic rights of vulnerable communities serve to legitimize further discrimination, especially for women who prioritize rule following. Latent authoritarianism can be easily activated in times of stress or uncertainty, and lead to more black and white thinking. Our audience is highly concerned about safety (stemming in part from benevolent sexism), so witnessing cultural upheaval and mass demonstrations also undermines women’s willingness to stand up for the rights of others.
Our audience’s desire to see themselves as “good people” who are accepting of others is often at odds with these internalized biases and their conflict avoidance. Internalized sexism and low confidence in their own agency incentivise disengagement. At the same time, many ideologically-moderate white women feel uncomfortable with culture change, and may be caught between ideologically-conservative family members and more progressive peers and younger generations when it comes to polarizing topics such as immigration or LGBTQ+ rights. Because identity culture war issues lie at the heart of grievance-based anti-democracy narratives, we need a prosocial narrative that unlocks our audience’s compassion and willingness to defend the rights of others.
SUB ISSUES
Immigration
Although it isn’t usually top of mind for our audience, immigration is an issue that rises in salience in response to grievance-based narratives. Ideologically-moderate white women have conflicting beliefs when it comes to immigration, largely shaped by concerns around safety, who is deserving, and a strong sense of nationalism. The majority of women in our audience support fair, humane immigration policies and oppose extreme actions such as mass deportation. At the same time, they want strong border security and worry about their own safety. Many have internalized the dominant disinformation narrative associating immigration with crime, and opposition to prosocial policies stems from a lens of threat to their ingroup. Military force can be justified in the name of perceived safety (for citizens) and to enforce what is seen as justice.
Women in our audience see immigration as beneficial to the country overall. However, many draw a hard line between “deserving” and “undeserving”, a distinction rooted in assumptions of criminality and fueled by disinformation around legal status, public benefits, and assimilation. Our audience’s scarcity mindset raises concerns about limited resources and who is “taking” vs “giving back to society.” The focus on immigrants who “followed the rules” vs those who didn’t allows for empathy to be granted to the former, and justifies punishment for the latter. Low awareness of the complexity of immigration policies and disconnection from non-citizens feed into anti-immigrant sentiment. In order to move on these barriers, we need to address our audience’s deeply-held beliefs about who has the right to be an American and grow their sense of shared fate.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Our audience’s lack of familiarity with the LGBTQ+ community, and specifically transgender rights, creates a vacuum for grievance-based disinformation to take root. The majority of moderate white women believe that there are only two sexes, which serves as a barrier to empathy and allows them to view the issue through the lens of behavior choice rather than identity. Similar to immigration, they have conflicting beliefs centered around concerns with safety and fairness. But our research suggests that they lean further from prosocial values when it comes to transgender rights. Ideologically-moderate white women appear torn between their politeness value and desire to respect individual rights, and a resistance to cultural change. Many think that transgender rights advocates have gone too far, and feel like the issue is being “pushed” on them. Opposition is particularly strong from ideologically-moderate white women who want to preserve traditional norms and protect their ingroup from perceived social and political threat.
Discomfort rises when the issue touches on the polarizing topics of gender-affirming care, sports, and public education. Because many women in our audience filter political and social issues through a caregiving lens, bringing children into discussions of transgender rights raises safety flags for them. When empathy is primarily focused on their in-group, it allows an opening for anti-trans narratives to override compassion for the transgender community.
Attitudes towards the transgender community are strongly predictive of vote choice for ideologically-moderate white women. While growing our audience’s awareness and acceptance of transgender rights will take time, it is essential for long-term prosocial change. At the same time, we need to hold them from backsliding in response to a hostile civic and cultural environment.
Identity Culture Wars in Schools
While the focus of the issue has changed since we started studying it—from critical race theory to gender identity and sexual orientation—identity culture war attacks on public education continue to target similar barriers for our audience. Under the guise of “protecting kids,” these narratives speak to our audience’s concerns around cultural change, loss of control, and fairness beliefs. Like other topics that fall outside of kitchen table issues, identity culture wars are not perceived as top of mind for ideologically-moderate white women until activated by grievance messaging.
Our audience has low support for public school teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation. While some concern appears to stem from fears about what is “age appropriate” and lack of understanding of inclusive curricula, opposition also arises from anti-equity mindsets. Many women in our audience believe compassion comes from treating everyone equally, and push back on the idea that some groups (including LGBTQ+ kids) should be singled out for respect and inclusion. Coming from a scarcity mindset and “us vs them” thinking, inclusivity can be perceived as taking away from their in-group. Ideologically-moderate white women believe that parents need to be involved in decisions impacting children in schools, which creates an opening for “parents’ rights” narratives to shape the issue in a harmful way. Addressing our audience’s safety concerns and defensive reaction to equitable teaching, while shoring up their trust in public education remains critical even as the issue continues to morph in the future.
NARRATIVES THAT MOVE MODERATE WOMEN
In order to combat “othering” beliefs and foster social cohesion, we focus on narratives that validate our audience’s concerns about culture change, raise their awareness of the rights of outgroup members, and build their desire to stand up to discrimination.
More in Common than Differences
This narrative validates our audience’s strong desire for belonging and connection while countering divisive “othering” beliefs. It leverages women’s compassion and uses social contact theory to create positive and authentic opportunities for engagement with people from different backgrounds. This helps overcome low familiarity with outgroup members and moves our audience from “us vs them” thinking to a more open and inclusive mindset.
Example:
We All Deserve Fair Treatment
“Deservingness” beliefs activated by colorblind racial resentment and scarcity mindset can enable authoritarian rhetoric and policies to dehumanize marginalized groups. This narrative focuses on widening women’s circle of concern as a counter. It focuses on lived experiences that center the humanity and shared values of outgroup members to break harmful stereotypes. It can look like using ingroup care as a bridge to compassion, such as framing discrimination through the lens of a mother’s concern for her child who has a friend who may be targeted.