Social conservatism

Social conservatism is a political ideology that holds to a belief in following cultural tradition and traditional, often religious morality. Social conservatism is a common ideology that is subscribed to by people who are described as being part of the Religious Right, the Bible Belt and as values voters. In the United States, social conservatives tend to oppose same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia, secularism and comprehensive sex education (often restating those beliefs in the positive - pro-life, defending marriage, defending the religious heritage of the United States and so on).

Social conservatives tend to have an uneasy relationship with other parts of the political right. Libertarians and pro-business/economic conservatives are often uninterested in values issues, while social conservatives have in recent years become less responsive to economic issues. In the presidential candidacy of Mike Huckabee this was particularly apparent, with Huckabee offering positions that many on the left approved of combined with social policy designed to please the religious base of his campaign.