The abortion battle may be the precursor to even larger struggles

As the prospect of Roe v. Wade being overturned looms large and the United States braces for another round of culture wars, I have been puzzling about why clashes over values seem to be more intense in this country than elsewhere, and why the competing camps seem more divided than before.

One key to this might be found in a 2020 Pew Research Center survey, showing that on many cultural issues, the American political divide was the widest among rich countries surveyed. Asked whether the country would be “better off in the future if it sticks to its traditions and way of life,” 65 percent on the right said “yes,” vs. just 6 percent on the left, a 59-point gap. That compares with a 19-point gap in tradition-bound France. Asked whether being Christian was a crucial aspect of being a citizen of the country, the gap in the United States was 23 points, compared to just seven points in Britain.

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