The Bible Remains America's Favorite BookGone with the Wind and the Harry Potter series are 2nd and 3rd favoritesNew York, N.Y. - April 29, 2014 - There's always one. It might be something you remember fondly from when you were a child. Or, it could be one that just resonated with you years after your first experienced it. For some, it could the one that surprised them the most. That "one" is a favorite book, and with people reading in so many different ways today, it's interesting to see what America's favorite book is. This year, same as in 2008 when The Harris Poll last asked this question, the number one book is The Bible, followed by Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. Moving up one spot on the list to number three is J.K. Rowling's tales of the young wizard in the Harry Potter series. Rounding out the top five favorite books are another series - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which drops one spot to number four - and Harper Lee's coming of age classic To Kill a Mockingbird, which moves up two spots to number five.These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,234 U.S. adults surveyed online between March 12 and 17, 2014. New to the list at number six is the story of the hunting of a great white whale, Herman Melville's Moby Dick, followed by another coming of age tale, J.D. Salinger's Cather in the Rye, which moves up three spots to number seven. Then we have three more new additions to the list. At number eight is yet another coming of age tale, Louisa Mae Alcott's Little Women, followed by The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck at number nine and then F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby at number ten. With four new additions to the list, that means four titles - one horror, two thrillers and one controversial classic - dropped from the top ten this year. The horror title is from a man who's been called the form's master, Stephen King, whose novel The Stand dropped from the top ten after holding the number five spot the last time around. The two thrillers are from the same author, Dan Brown, whose The Da Vinci Code was number six in 2008 and whose Angels and Demons held the number eight spot. Finally, the classic, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, dropped from the top ten list after holding the ninth position in 2008. Different Second Favorites Across all the various demographic groups, The Bible is the number one book, but there are definitely differences in the second favorite. Men go to fantasy, with The Lord of the Rings series being their second favorite, while for women it's all about the Southern charm in Gone with the Wind. There is also a generational difference, with Millennials' second favorite being the Harry Potter series while for Gen Xers it's The Lord of the Rings series. Both Baby Boomers' and Matures' second favorite is Gone with the Wind. There is also a race/ethnicity difference. For Whites, Gone with the Wind is their second favorite book while for Blacks it is Moby Dick and for Hispanics The Great Gatsby is their second favorite book. Regionally, Gone with the Wind is both Southerners' and Midwesterners' their second favorite book, but there is a battle between wizards on the coasts. In the East, The Lord of the Rings series is the second favorite while in the West it is the Harry Potter series. Finally there is sort of a political divide. First, there is something that Republicans, Democrats and Independents actually agree on -Gone with the Wind is their second favorite book. However, while Conservatives and Moderates say the same, Liberals' second favorite book is the Harry Potter series. To see other recent Harris Polls, please visit the Harris Poll News Room. Want Harris Polls delivered direct to your inbox? Click here!
TABLE 1
FAVORITE BOOK
"Who is your favorite book of all time?"
Unprompted responses
Base: All adults
DROPPED OFF OF LIST IN 2014
The Stand by
Stephen King (was No. 5), The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (was No. 6)
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (was No. 8) and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn
Rand (was No. 9)
TABLE 2
TOP BOOK AMONG DIFFERENT GROUPS AFTER THE BIBLE
Methodology This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States March 12 and 17, 2014 among 2,300 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls. The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll. J44476 Q935 The Harris Poll® #42, April 29, 2014 By Regina A. Corso, VP, The Harris Poll and Public Relations About Nielsen & The Harris Poll On February 3, 2014, Nielsen acquired Harris Interactive and The Harris Poll. Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com. |
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2014/05/15 07:57:53
從美國人最愛的書看美國核心價值重建
黃湘
近
日，美國調查公司“哈裡斯調查”（Harris Polls）公布了關於“美國人最愛讀的10本書”的最新調查結果，和2008年的上一次調查結果相比，除了斯蒂芬•金和丹•布朗的幾本情節驚悚的暢銷書因為時過境遷自然淘汰之外，最耐人尋味的變化是安•蘭德的《阿特拉斯聳聳肩》跌出榜外，而斯坦貝克的《憤怒的葡萄》取而代之。1957 年問世的《阿特拉斯聳聳肩》是激進個人主義的代表作，強調社會發展有賴於充滿創造力的傑出個人，將理性追求私利視為最高道德價值；而1939年問世的《憤 怒的葡萄》則具有社會主義傾向，抨擊大蕭條時期的貧富分化和社會壓迫，主張“我”不能離開“我們”而存在。兩本書的旨趣可謂大相徑庭。在當今美國社會閱讀 風向的這一變化背後，隱含了怎樣的意蘊呢？
對於上述問題，小尤金•約瑟夫•迪昂（Eugene Joseph Dionne, Jr.）2012年出版的《我們分裂的政治心靈：不滿年代的美國理念之戰》（Our Divided Political Heart: The Battle for the American Idea in an Age of Discontent）給出了解讀的線索。迪昂是喬治城大學教授，布魯金斯學會資深研究員，不過他在美國社會最為人熟知的身份是《華盛頓郵報》專欄作家， 通過這個平台對美國公共輿論產生了相當大的影響力。國內出版過他的《為什麼美國人恨政治》（Why Americans Hate Politics），這部1991年問世的著作詳盡探討了美國持續數十年的政治兩極化（political polarization）如何疏遠了中間意見的“沉默的大多數”，不僅成為當年的暢銷書，至今仍為學者所樂道。
《我們分裂的政治心靈》堪稱《為什麼美國人恨政治》的續篇。迪昂在書中指出，時下癒演癒烈的美國政治兩極化問題，根源在於美國的二元核心價值──個人主義和社群主義（communitarianism）──失去了曾經的平衡。美國社會亟需價值再平衡，建立新共識。
在迪昂看來，從立國伊始，美國的核心價值就具有二元性。“美國是個人主義之國，但是其個人主義者關心整個社群；美國是社群主義之國，但是其社群主義者要求個人自由”，在兩種主義之間無疑存在張力，但正是平衡這種張力的努力，塑造了獨特的“美國性格”。
但 是，最近30多年來，一種激進形式的個人主義橫掃美國社會，尤其是掌握了共和黨的話語權，原先處於主流地位的溫和派共和黨人紛紛出局，共和黨成為一個片面 強調個人主義價值的政黨，而作為其內部極端派別的茶黨更是登峰造極。從大歷史的角度看，這是相當吊詭的，因為在歷史上共和黨更傾向社群價值，共和黨的名稱 來自“共和主義”（republicanism），這幾乎就是社群主義的代名詞。
這種激進個人主義要求絕對的“小政府”，將任何形式的 政府幹預都當成對於個人自由的侵犯。但事實上，以積極的政府幹預促進國家經濟發展，原是美國的長期傳統。建國初期，漢密爾頓就致力於建立一個強大的聯邦政 府來推動工商業發展；兩位彪炳史冊的共和黨總統，林肯和西奧多•羅斯福，都繼承了這一傳統。就連尼克鬆也設立了聯邦環境保護總署，這是激進個人主義者不能 接受的，在他們看來，環境保護無非是政府借機侵犯個人自由的又一個幌子而已。
迪昂謹慎地區分了激進個人主義和保守主義，他讚賞小布什總 統提出的“富於同情心的保守主義”（compassionate conservatism），認為這代表了共和黨內部傾向社群主義的力量。小布什雖然做過很多錯誤的決定，但是他的“美國總統防治艾滋病緊急救援計劃” （PEPFAR），以及對移民政策的改革立場，都確實體現了“富於同情心”的一面，前者惠及700萬非洲人，後者則旨在改善眾多非法移民的處境。這都是和 激進個人主義背道而馳的。
與共和黨恰恰相反，民主黨在歷史上曾經是個人主義的倡導者，但現在基本認同社群主義。社群主義者雖然也警惕政府權力的濫用，但是認為政府可以而且應當通過再分配等手段，成為改善社群生活的幫手。換言之，社群主義者相信政府應當積極有為。
但 是迪昂指出，民主黨並沒有把社群主義貫徹到底。民主黨高層的自由派精英對民粹主義一向持否定態度，認為它們反智而危險，看不到民粹主義所蘊含的民主特性， 其根源來自美國悠久的共和主義和個人自主的傳統。結果把許多呼吁改善經濟狀況的民粹主義力量推到了激進個人主義一邊，助長了茶黨的興起，而這些民粹主義力 量本來是可以走向社群主義的。
一邊是來勢兇猛的激進個人主義，一邊是跛腳的社群主義。個人主義和社群主義顯然失去平衡，而且難以對話。這導致了美國“分裂的政治心靈”。
那麼，怎樣才能彌合“分裂的政治心靈”，建立新共識呢？迪昂宣稱，美國應該回歸進步主義（progressivism）的傳統。進步主義是19世紀末期在美國興起的一種社會思潮和政治運動，其領袖人物是曾經兩度擔任美國總統的共和黨人西奧多•羅斯福。
19 世紀後期的美國社會被歷史學家稱為“鍍金時代”，這是一個激進個人主義盛行，經濟完全自由放任，貧富分化空前加劇的時代。進步主義是對“鍍金時代”的匡 正，它體現了當時美國社會中間派的政治立場，要求重振社群價值，加強公共管理和人權保護。在西奧多•羅斯福的第一個總統任期內，國會通過了反壟斷法，聯邦 政府建立了對大公司的監管，由此宣告了“鍍金時代”的終結。
迪昂指出，進步主義的精神在美國持續了將近一個世紀，它在個人主義和社群主 義之間所建立的平衡，成為美國社會的“長期共識”。在此期間，美國的政府權力和個人自由同步增長；各種監管規則保護了工人和消費者的權益，同時也造就了資 本主義的繁榮；強大的工會組織保証了財富的公平分配和個人發展的機會均等；政治權利的不斷擴大，使得先前遭排斥的少數群體陸續融入美國的社群生活。所有這 些都使得美國不僅以其經濟軍事實力，更以其民主模式和文化創造力領先世界，使20世紀成為“美國世紀”。
但是，進步主義精神也一直面臨 挑戰。富蘭克林•羅斯福的“新政”是進步主義精神的輝煌巔峰，而20世紀50年代興起的保守主義政治運動就是以否定“新政”為出發點，雖然其領袖戈德華特 非常尊敬富蘭克林•羅斯福。保守主義的明星政治家裡根當選總統以後，通過任命數位保守派人士擔任最高法院大法官，將最高法院置於保守派的控制之下，這比共 和黨控制白宮和國會更加深遠地影響了美國政治，從法理學的領域步步為營地瓦解了進步主義精神。
20世紀80年代，中國人在長期封閉之後 開始接觸外部世界之時，正值裡根執政時期，那也是美國保守主義政治運動的鼎盛時期。因此許多中國人對美國的認知是“不知有漢，無論魏晉”，把裡根時代的美 國當成了美國的固有形象。其實，按照迪昂的看法，裡根時代乃是對美國傳統的偏離，裡根的共和黨更是遠遠偏離了西奧多•羅斯福和艾森豪威爾的共和黨。當下美 國社會的很多深層次矛盾，都是在裡根時代埋下了種子。
迪昂撰寫《我們分裂的政治心靈》之際，美國社會正處在茶黨甚囂塵上的時期。現在茶 黨大勢已去，進步主義的復興卻初露端倪。哈佛大學法學院教授、2012年當選美國民主黨參議員的伊麗莎白•沃倫（Elizabeth Warren）就被輿論視為新一輪進步主義運動的領軍人物。近日她的自傳《鬥爭機會》（A Fighting Chance）出版，頗受矚目。本文開篇提到的“美國人最愛讀的10本書”的名單變化，也說明激進個人主義在美國已經呈現退潮跡象，個人主義與社群主義有 望重建平衡。
美國社會正在自我調整，中國人對美國的看法也有必要隨之調整。
（本文作者黃湘是資深政經文化編輯，現旅居美國。文中所述僅代表他的個人觀點。）
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