The United States and Europe have seen a rise in outsider political movements, with more voters supporting populist authoritarian leaders who buck traditional cultural values than in the recent past. In this episode, Sam Wang interviews researcher and writer David R. K. Adler, who argues, contrary to contemporary belief, that […] Read more »
Kennedy Institute Poll: Americans Speak on the United States Senate
In an effort to better understand Americans’ knowledge of and perceptions about the United States Senate, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate partnered with leading Republican and Democratic polling firms Public Opinion Strategies and Hart Research Associates to conduct a bipartisan national survey assessing how voters […] Read more »
Erosion, polarization, and norm violations: Bright Line Watch Survey Report
Donald Trump is a disruptor. Few would disagree that his actions and style of political combat set him apart from past presidents. There is less consensus about the implications of Trump’s distinctive governing style for the health of American democracy, however. To understand how Americans rate their democracy in the […] Read more »
Preventing the suicide of American democracy
John Adams was not particularly optimistic about democracy. In an 1814 letter, he wrote: “Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” A new study of American public attitudes suggests our democracy indeed may be heading […] Read more »
The Welfare Boogeyman
When it comes to social policy, President Trump embraces conservative politics as usual, continuing a nearly four-decades-long effort to make these policies more restrictive. … Mr. Trump and his conservative allies in Congress correctly grasp that many Americans dislike policies they associate with “welfare.” But most non-disabled working-age beneficiaries of […] Read more »
Nearly Two-Thirds Of Americans Oppose Cuts To SNAP Program
A majority of registered voters oppose recent efforts to scale back Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits and believe the government should be doing more to meet the needs of people facing food insecurity and other challenges, according to a new survey commissioned by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School […] Read more »