In one of the most emotionally wrenching presidential races in living memory, Donald J. Trump’s support is as level as a pond. In polls, it is holding steady around 41 percent, right where it was after the first debate in late September. This plateau has persisted through the second and […] Read more »
Pope’s Encyclical Did Not Raise Broad Public Concern Over Climate Change
Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on the environment, “Laudato si’,” did not raise broad public concern about climate change among Catholics and non-Catholics, according to a new study from researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. The study “Cross-pressuring conservative Catholics? Effects of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the U.S. public opinion […] Read more »
As Election Nears, Voters Divided Over Democracy and ‘Respect’
As the presidential campaign enters its final days, opinions about American democracy and the candidates’ respect for democratic institutions – as well their respect for women, minorities and other groups in society– have emerged as political flashpoints. Donald Trump is widely seen as having little or no respect for Muslims, […] Read more »
The Great Democratic Inversion
For decades, Democratic presidential candidates have been making steady gains among upper income whites and whites with college and postgraduate degrees. This year, however, is the first time in at least six decades that the Democratic nominee is positioned to win a majority of these upscale voters. … From the […] Read more »
Better or Worse Since the 1950s? Trump and Clinton Supporters at Odds over the Past and Future of the Country
Two weeks before the presidential election, a new national survey finds that supporters of each presidential candidate view cultural changes in America since 1950 very differently. About seven in ten (72 percent) Donald Trump likely voters say American culture and way of life has changed for the worse since the […] Read more »
Why Does This Election Have Us So Down? Social Science May Have An Answer
U.S. politics have long been marked by disagreement and even rancor. But 2016 feels worse than usual. NPR’s Hidden Brain podcast offers one explanation why, from deep in our psychological frameworks. NPR Read more »