There is no debate that Americans social & cultural attitudes are moving leftward over time. There is a debate about the extent to which they are also thermostatic (move against direction of policy). Stimson finds identity issues are not thermostatic:
www.cambridge.org/core/element...
Others find that large social policy changes do have thermostatic effects (& clearly, they have in the wake of Dobbs). But to be clear, absolute opinions are moving leftward long-term regardless of thermostatic factors
scholar.harvard.edu/files/wheato...
Since policies, policy proposals, & the Democratic Party image on social & cultural issues are also moving quickly leftward over time, that movement may not help Democrats electorally. And it still may not be beneficial for Democrats to focus on social rather than economic issues
But calculus is more difficult than usually supposed. 1st, focus on social issues could help on those issues even if not help Dem brand (eg could win OH abortion & marijuana initiatives but not help candidates). Even less popular advocacy, eg criminal justice, could change policy
2nd, Dem focus on econ issues likely entails advertising left positions & passing left policies where absolute opinion is not moving leftward & thermostatic backlash is stronger; moving in tandem with public opinion is hard but on social issues it at least means liberal advance
