Americans’ confidence in all three branches of the U.S. government has fallen, reaching record lows for the Supreme Court (30%) and Congress (7%), and a six-year low for the presidency (29%). The presidency had the largest drop of the three branches this year, down seven percentage points from its previous […] Read more »
James Madison, Woodrow Wilson, and Newt Gingrich: Institutional Design and Polarization
With the recent Pew survey on polarization, we’ve entered into the next round of debate about what party divisions really mean for American political life. … Not surprisingly, much of this debate has taken place among public opinion scholars and has involved the interpretation of survey results. However, a series […] Read more »
The Frustration Doctrine
Americans’ confidence in American leadership is flagging to such a degree that it poses a critical threat to our democracy, particularly as moneyed interests seek to manipulate the malaise and stir policy and politician away from principle and toward profit. CONT. Charles M. Blow, New York Times Read more »
Attitudes Toward Poverty Show Dramatic Change
… In 1995, Americans were twice as likely to believe poverty resulted from people not doing enough to help themselves out than to attribute it to external forces, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll conducted in April that year. … Fast forward 19 years, and those views have […] Read more »
NBC/WSJ Poll: Obama’s Foreign Policy Rating Plummets, Even Without Iraq
The percentage of Americans approving of President Barack Obama’s handling of foreign policy issues has dropped to the lowest level of his presidency as he faces multiple overseas challenges, including in Iraq, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Additionally, the public is evenly split on whether Obama […] Read more »
Americans’ Faith in Government Shapes How They Feel About Obamacare — Trust Me
Four years after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Americans are still of two minds about the health care reform law. When pollsters break Obamacare apart, nearly all of the individual pieces are well regarded. But when they ask about Obamacare as a single, hulking policy, it’s derided. Americans […] Read more »