Social conservatism is on the rise. Maybe DeSantis is on to something with anti-'woke' fight.

It’s rare for a day to go by without some headline insinuating that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is a fascist – or even a Nazi sympathizer. The Republican firebrand has “earned” the reputation by backing an agenda that pushes back against what he calls the “woke mob.” 

From critical race theory to gender ideology, DeSantis has built his brand on curbing the leftist agenda that has infiltrated K-12 classrooms and higher education. 

While liberals and many in the news media like to portray him as “dangerous,” it seems a growing number of Americans are empathetic to his cause. 

Conservatism is on the rise 

DeSantis is far from the only Republican governor who is standing up against wokeness. He just gets most of the attention because he’s running for president. Many states are debating policies related to transgender athletes, book bans and abortion, among other contentious cultural topics. 

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These discussions come at a time when conservatism is on the rise. 

A new poll from Gallup found that 38% of Americans say they are conservative or very conservative on social issues – a nearly 30% increase since 2021. It’s the highest percentage claiming to be socially conservative since 2012. 

In the past two years, those identifying with liberal or very liberal social views fell to 29% from 34%.

The percentage of social moderates – 31% – remained constant. 

It's all very interesting because it runs contrary to the narrative we hear frequently in popular culture and the media. Conservatives are often painted as outsiders or on the fringes for their views. 

Maybe that’s not true. 

This poll, Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, indicates social conservatives are a larger group than either moderates or social liberals (who clocked in as the smallest cohort). 

The same is true for economic issues, with 44% saying their views are conservative or very conservative. That’s more than double those who describe their economic views as very liberal or liberal (21%). 

Are liberals overplaying their hand?

Gallup also found that 69% of Americans believe transgender athletes “should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that conform with their birth gender” – up from 62% in 2021. Similarly, fewer people (26%) support transgender athletes playing on teams that align with their gender identity – down from 34%. 

I’m sure Democrats and LGBTQ+ activists see these numbers and conclude Americans are becoming more bigoted and intolerant. 

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But it’s more complicated than that. Liberals have taken an agenda of LGBTQ+ acceptance to an extreme, especially when it comes to policies surrounding children. Parental rights are taking a back seat in hugely important decisions around gender identity, and that’s not sitting well with a lot of families.

Take, for instance, California, the breeding ground for some of the worst Democratic ideas. Legislation in that state would insert whether parents are affirming their child’s chosen gender into custody disputes. The same goes for foster parents, who would be expected to affirm the child’s gender of choice.

A bill sponsor offered the example of a child as young as 7 as needing gender identity affirmation from foster parents. 

That’s absurd. And it’s only a matter of time before such policies would expand to all parents. 

This is the kind of extremism that governors like DeSantis are fighting, and a growing number of Americans are on their side. 

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques