… Many observers have expressed amazement at how quickly the nationwide public health crisis of COVID-19, itself not inherently an ideological or divisive issue, has evolved to conform to the outline of familiar culture-war conflicts. But to the media outlets that now exercise substantial influence over the national Republican Party, […] Read more »
Republicans Still Skeptical of COVID-19 Lethality
The novel coronavirus pandemic provides a view into the deep partisan divisions that have persisted despite the unfolding national crisis. Two recent Gallup/Knight Foundation surveys find Americans’ understanding about the coronavirus is strongly shaped by partisan affiliation and news consumption habits, especially when basic facts are politicized. CONT. Zacc Ritter, […] Read more »
Behind Trump’s demand to reopen churches: Slipping poll numbers and alarm inside his campaign
A sudden shift in support for Donald Trump among religious conservatives is triggering alarm bells inside his reelection campaign, where top aides have long banked on expanding the president’s evangelical base as a key part of their strategy for victory this November. The anxiety over Trump’s standing with the Christian […] Read more »
How Social Psychology Influences Political Behavior
Individual reactions to the coronavirus pandemic and the public health restrictions that have accompanied it have underscored how powerful negative partisanship can be in the formation of political opinions. In past crises, national shocks have urged partisans to put aside their personal grievances in pursuit of the greater good, but […] Read more »
Never Trumpers and the Future of American Conservatism
Never Trump: The Revolt of the Conservative Elitesby Robert P. Saldin and Steven M. TelesOxford University Press … Political scientists Robert Saldin and Steven Teles, authors of studies on health reform, the effects of war on the U.S. government, and the conservative legal movement, examine how and why elites from […] Read more »
Under Trump, Democrats and Republicans have never been more divided — on nearly everything
Americans’ political behavior and beliefs have grown ever more partisan over the past 40 years. Democrats and Republicans alike have become more likely to support their own party’s candidates, to adopt their own party’s issue positions, and even to distort their perceptions of objective facts to fit their own party’s […] Read more »