The battle over the confirmation of Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court marks another significant step in the transformation of the high court into one more polarizing political body. It has been a long time coming. In the climate that exists today, it will not easily be undone. […] Read more »
Growing Partisan Differences in Views of the FBI; Stark Divide over ICE
A new survey of public attitudes toward federal agencies finds that partisan differences in views of the FBI have increased markedly over the past year. And Americans’ opinions about Immigration and Customs Enforcement are deeply polarized: 72% of Republicans view ICE favorably, while an identical share of Democrats view it […] Read more »
Americans distrusted US democracy long before Trump’s Russia problem
Historically, the high-water mark for American dissatisfaction with government was the 1970s — the era of Vietnam, Nixon and Watergate. AP Photo/John Duricka Ian Anson, University of Maryland, Baltimore County White House special counsel Robert Mueller recently issued 12 indictments alleging that Russian intelligence agents sought to tilt the vote […] Read more »
One-third of the world’s population lives in a declining democracy. That includes the United States.
Many scholars have argued that democracy — particularly in the United States — is under threat. Examples include Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s analysis of democratic backsliding and Yascha Mounk’s stringent critique of whether American democracy truly represents its citizens. Our newly released 2018 Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project report […] Read more »
It’s Independence Day, but Americans aren’t feeling so proud
The Washington Post polling team is celebrating Independence Day the best way we know how: by combing through the latest surveys of what Americans say they think about their country and patriotism. We came away with an image that is largely negative or deteriorating. Americans are less proud of their […] Read more »
Confidence in Supreme Court Modest, but Steady
The percentage of Americans expressing high confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court is steady and relatively low, with 37% last month expressing “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of faith in the nation’s highest court. CONT. Megan Brenan, Gallup Read more »