Fri July 29, 11:41 a.m. PDT 61% have heard of Ayn Rand, 35% have a favorable view Ayn Rand, the American author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, is known for her philosophy called Objectivism, which celebrates reason, self-interest and human achievement. Since the middle of the twentieth century, she has achieved a following among some Conservatives and Libertarians. Recently, there has been increased interest in Rand and her ideas among the Right, with high profile Republicans such Paul Ryan touting her philosophy. A recent YouGov survey reveals that while a majority of Americans have heard of Rand, fewer agree with her. According to the survey, 61% respondents have heard of Ayn Rand. Across political party affiliations, Democrats and Republicans are about equally likely to have heard of the author. Independents are slightly more likely to have heard of her than members of either party. Across political ideologies, a different pattern emerges: those who identify themselves as Liberal and those who identify themselves as Conservative are more likely to have heard of her than Moderates (with respectively 75% and 71% of Liberals and Conservatives saying they have). Among those who have heard of her, opinion on her philosophy remains fairly evenly split: Read On
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