New Poll Released: LDS Enclaves Worried About Corruption & Polarization
Topline Findings of the 2025 American Fragmentation Survey III
Introduction
I hope my U.S. friends are having a wonderful holiday weekend and my other friends are having a wonderful weekend.
A few months ago, I explored the interesting American Communities Project where each U.S. county is segmented in 15 diverse community types from Aging Farmlands, Big Cities, and Hispanic Centers to the LDS Enclaves (the only contiguous community found in the most dense Latter-day Saint region in the nation). If you look at their map, the LDS Enclaves are easy to spot.
I have two exciting updates to share with this project:
Over the past few weeks, I worked with the American Communities Project to publish a piece exploring Americans views on higher education across the nation. I did this in conjunction with several other contractors across the nation where we went to college football tailgates and interviewed random individuals aaking their thoughts on higher education, AI, and the Trump administration’s actions toward universities. For my part, I interviewed a few individuals at the BYU LaVell Edwards Stadium before the BYU vs. Utah game a few weeks ago. If you are interested in reading more, here is the link to the article and to the BYU part.
They released a new poll (just two weeks ago) with a lot of insight into the LDS Community, so I want to share a few topline findings today zooming in on the LDS Enclaves.
New Poll Insights
If you want the quick takeaways before diving into the charts, here is a brief executive summary:
The economy is the top concern at the community and national level. LDS Enclavers are worried about affordability, inflation, and taxes. Many see negative changes in affordability and tariffs in their local community in the last year.
LDS Enclavers are more worried about political polarization than the rest of America and are increasingly more worried about it. It is a top 2 national issue that has grown consistently the last three years.
LDS Enclavers are increasingly worried about government and business corruption. Their concern for this issue has jumped up from 2024 to 2025.
I have previously shared analysis similar to this here looking at top community and national issues but from their survey in previous years 2023 and 2024. Now let’s look at 2025!
All communities seem to agree they noticed inflation and rising prices. However, the LDS Enclaves seem to agree more being the most likely community to say they have noticed inflation and rising price changes in the last 12 months with overwhelming numbers saying the changes are negative (75%).
A Majority of LDS Enclaves noticed changes from tariffs in their community again with a majority saying that the changes are negative (65%).
Now, respondents were asked about their top community issue.
Like we have seen in previous years, economic related indicators are of top concern for LDS Enclavers with 64% saying inflation was a top 3 issue (vs. 50% in the US overall saying the same). Secondly, LDS Enclavers are worried about taxes. Notably, these have been the top two issues for the LDS Enclaves for all 3 years of the survey 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Now turning to national issues…
LDS Enclavers rank inflation as the top national issue (44%) and close behind is political polarization (39%). Numbers like this may suggest a distaste for the Trump-era culture war and wanting to find a new path.
When you compare to every other community, the LDS Enclaves are the most likely to mark Political Polarization as a national issue and are twice as likely to mark it compared to Trump’s Evangelical Hub strongholds.
Notably, with each passing year political polarization is increasingly seen as an issue for the LDS Enclaves! In 2023, 30% of LDS Enclavers saw it as a top-3 issue compared to 39% in 2025. It is increasingly becoming a concern now almost surpassing inflation for LDS Enclavers.
One of the top rising national concerns for the LDS Enclaves is corruption. Over the last year, Americans and LDS Enclavers both are worried about government corruption.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on some of these results. Feel free to comment below…
Why are the LDS Enclaves disproportionately more worried about political polarization than the rest of the country?
Why are Americans and LDS Enclavers increasingly more worried about political and business corruption in the last year?
Is there anything else that stood out to you about the new poll results?
I hope everyone can enjoy their weekend.
If you are interested in more methodological details and national results, click the link to read their full report.
See you next week!
This is very interesting, thanks for all your work!
I have some thoughts about political polarization being a top issue. In the LDS culture, passive aggressive or just plain passiveness is the preferred communication style. In my opinion and based on data surrounding high control religions such as Mormonism, one area heavily policed in Mormonism is appearance and the need to appear devoid of conflict. Conflict is to be avoided, first and foremost. “Contention is of the devil” was a common refrain in my LDS upbringing. Which is basically the same for conflict. So seeing such open conflict play out in every sphere is probably disconcerting for LDS folks. The irony, imo, is that the root of such polarization is often black and white thinking and strong in-group versus out-group ideology—which the LDS church uses consistently and thoroughly. Members are trained to smile and play nice, so they appear kind and friendly, despite this.
It’s as if the overt display of political polarization highlights the internal division of ‘Mormon vs non-Mormon’—held by LDS folks—and to see it outright makes them very uncomfortable.
Do you have some additional detail for the map. I can see what I presume are Mormon Enclaves in Utah and southern Idaho. But are there others? Is there a color legend anywhere?