A majority of voters (57%) say the government should not make abortion a crime, punishable with prison time or fines. This includes seven-in-ten Democrats and nearly two-thirds of independents. Among Republicans, 77% oppose criminalization before fetal viability (22-24 weeks), including 42% who oppose any criminalization and 35% who only favor […] Read more »
WI-02 Residents Agree on Reforms to Social Security
In a unique survey of 406 residents of Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District, majorities of Republicans and Democrats agreed on steps that would resolve most of Social Security’s projected shortfall, while increasing benefits for many retirees. The survey results were released at an online “Citizen Panel Forum” on Saturday. Congressman Mark […] Read more »
These Americans Tried to Listen to One Another. A Year Later, Here’s How They’re Voting.
ONE YEAR AGO, the Americans pictured here — Republicans, Democrats and independents — were among a group of voters feeling pretty good about the state of American democracy. They believed their differences weren’t so vast. They believed they could talk to one another. They thought compromise might even come of […] Read more »
What Would Happen If American Voters All Got Together And Talked Politics?
There is a story that Stanford University political science professor Jim Fishkin likes to tell about George Gallup, the man who helped popularize public opinion polling in America. After the 1936 presidential election — which Gallup’s polling correctly called for Franklin D. Roosevelt — Gallup delivered a lecture at Princeton […] Read more »
We Need a Fourth Branch of Government
In ancient times, politics was born of the belief that we can be masters of our own fate, and democracy became a continuing, innovative project to guarantee people a say in public decisions. Today, however, we live in a paradox. Humanity has created vast wealth and technological know-how that could […] Read more »
How a weekend of discussing politics shifted the views of these Americans
If you spent the weekend talking politics and policy with a roomful of people who thought differently from you, how might it change your views of American democracy? According to an experiment called America in One Room, that experience moves Americans toward a rosier view of how American democracy works. […] Read more »