bill bishop on Daily Show

Jon Stewart got a dose of Daily Yonder demographics this week, when Yonder Co-editor Bill Bishop appeared as a guest on the Daily Show. Bishop discussed his book, The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart.

Stewart grasped the seriousness of the issue right away. “Are you afraid we are going to have a lifestyle civil war” between Republicans and Democrats?, he asked. “Obviously the Reds [Republicans] would win because they have guns. Although, you throw a nice hot latte in someone’s face, that’s not going to feel good.”

Bishop’s study shows that Americans are choosing to live near and associate with people who share their political and social beliefs. He said the trend is reflected in rural America. Thirty years ago, rural Americans voted along the same lines as the rest of the nation. Today, the rural vote trends Republican.

Watch the whole interview here.

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