Many Americans are poorly informed about basic constitutional provisions, according to a new national survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The annual Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey finds that: More than half of Americans (53 percent) incorrectly think it is accurate to say that immigrants who are here illegally […] Read more »
‘Trumpism’ and Fear of ‘Others’ Revealed as National Patterns in Baylor Religion Survey
“Trumpism” — a new form of nationalism that merges pro-Christian rhetoric with anti-Islam, anti-feminist, anti-globalist and anti-government attitudes — and a fear of “others” emerged as prominent patterns among Americans in the latest findings of the Baylor Religion Survey. … The research is Wave 5 of the Baylor Religion Survey, […] Read more »
Americans care far more about government working well than the federal debt
… Each month, Gallup surveys the country and asks which problem is most important at the moment. In recent months, the percentage of people identifying the debt (they can name more than one) has dwindled from about 5 percent two years ago to 1 or 2 percent. Part of that […] Read more »
Implications of President Trump’s Focus on His Base
Social scientists have long been familiar with the important concept of the reference group — a group individuals use as the standard against which to compare their own behavior and self-perceptions, whether a part of that group or not. President Donald Trump has, in recent months, given evidence that his […] Read more »
Voters value competence. That could be bad news for Trump.
… Falling assessments of a party or president’s competence have important electoral consequences. For one thing, it limits the range of issues that a party can campaign on, since voters are unlikely to find persuasive promises from a party that has proven it can’t deliver. Voters punish governments for poor […] Read more »
Three in 10 Have Positive Views of Federal Government
Americans’ views of the federal government have become slightly more positive over the past few years. Despite this improvement, less than a third of U.S. adults currently say they view the federal government in a favorable light. CONT. Justin McCarthy & Frank Newport, Gallup Read more »