Positive Notes From Americans Amid the Bad News

This July Fourth, the American public has plenty to worry about. U.S. adults are dissatisfied in general with the way things are going in the country and have record-low American pride. They are worried about the coronavirus and dissatisfied with the state of race relations, and the majority have negative […] Read more »

Black Americans deeply pessimistic about country under Trump, whom more than 8 in 10 describe as ‘a racist’

President Trump made a stark appeal to black Americans during the 2016 election when he asked, “What have you got to lose?” Three years later, black Americans have rendered their verdict on his presidency with a deeply pessimistic assessment of their place in the United States under a leader seen […] Read more »

Richest Republicans View Health Care Far Differently Than Poorest, NPR Poll Finds

A new poll finds that rich people are much happier with their lives than poorer people. They’re also far more likely to say they’ve achieved the American dream, that they’re satisfied with their education, and that they’re not anxious about the future. Many people could have guessed all of that […] Read more »

The Polarization of Reality

Evidence is growing that Americans are polarized not only in their views on policy issues and attitudes towards government and society, but also in their perceptions of the same, factual reality. In this paper we conceptualize how to think about the polarization of reality and review recent papers that show […] Read more »