Report · Culture

Americans lean toward valuing openness over tradition

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Given a choice between valuing openness and valuing tradition and security, more Americans lean toward openness than toward conservation. Nearly four-in-ten favor openness to some degree (39%, including 8% who strongly favor it), against 27% who lean the other way (including 6% strongly), according to a March 2025 Verasight survey.

The single largest group, though, is neutral, at 34%.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Americans lean toward valuing openness over tradition.

Please rate which of these two values are more important to you, personally: Conservation (valuing security for myself and my society, leaving up to social expectations, preserving tradition), or Openness (valuing independence of thought and action, looking for new experiences and varied life).

  • Neutral 34.4%
  • Somewhat Openness more than Conservation 15.6%
  • Openness more than Conservation 15.3%
  • Somewhat Conservation more than Openness 12.2%
  • Conservation more than Openness 8.5%
  • Definitely Openness more than Conservation 7.7%
  • Definitely Conservation more than Openness 6.3%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.5%

personality

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-02-28 → 2025-03-06
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.5%
Module
personality

Source

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2025-010, fielded February 28-March 6, 2025, N=1,000 United States adults, +/- 3.5%.

https://verasight-spsp-2025.tiiny.co

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. When a wave report is published, its field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io. Verified legacy reports remain on their original hosts, and unpublished reports are marked pending.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

The canonical report hub is reports.verasight.io; older reports may remain on verified legacy hosts.