In political, media and academic circles, the Trump era has sparked renewed interest in rural America — the supposedly “forgotten” areas of the country where white, non-college-educated voters gave the president the electoral edge he needed to prevail in 2016. The near-singular focus on Donald Trump has yielded a body […] Read more »
The Polarization of Reality
Evidence is growing that Americans are polarized not only in their views on policy issues and attitudes towards government and society, but also in their perceptions of the same, factual reality. In this paper we conceptualize how to think about the polarization of reality and review recent papers that show […] Read more »
Poll: White evangelicals distinct on abortion, LGBT policy
White evangelical Protestants stand noticeably apart from other religious people on abortion restrictions and LGBT discrimination protections, two of the most politically divisive issues at play in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new poll. The findings point to an evangelical Protestant constituency that’s more firmly aligned with President […] Read more »
Religious Commitment to Trumpism
A common response to some of our recent posts about the distinctiveness of evangelical politics is to duck and cover. That is, for some, the extreme stances are not a result of religion per se, but of being white and conservative. Others are not convinced that these are “real” evangelicals, […] Read more »
The 2010s Were the End of Normal
… Apocalypse is not yet upon our world as the 2010s draw to an end, but there are portents of disorder. The hopes nourished during the opening years of the decade — hopes that America was on a progressive path toward growing equality and freedom, hopes that technology held answers […] Read more »
One Thing About the 2020 Election Is Already Clear
The 2020 presidential election remains very much up for grabs, but one thing already seems clear: It will end with about half of America triumphant, and the other half furious and fearful. Whichever side ultimately prevails in November, red and blue America are diverging along both demographic and geographic lines […] Read more »