At a time when the U.S. is dealing with the federal debt limit, the budget, the rollout of the healthcare law, and the situation in Syria, trust in all three branches of the federal government remains on the lower end of what Gallup has measured historically. Americans’ trust in the […] Read more »
America’s race relations take hit after Zimmerman verdict
In the wake of the George Zimmerman case, U.S. views of race relations have taken a hit, and one-third of Americans say his acquittal in the death of Trayvon Martin has shaken their confidence in the legal system, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The survey found […] Read more »
Zimmerman verdict poll: Stark reaction by race
The not-guilty verdict in the trial of George Zimmerman has produced dramatically different reactions among blacks and whites, with African Americans overwhelmingly disapproving of the jury’s decision and a bare majority of whites saying they approve of the outcome, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. … The new […] Read more »
Gulf Grows in Black-White Views of U.S. Justice System Bias
While 68% of blacks say the American justice system is biased against blacks, 25% of whites agree. Blacks’ attitudes about the justice system have remained virtually constant over the past 20 years, but whites have become less likely to perceive bias. [cont.] Frank Newport, Gallup Read more »
Public Opinion, the Court, and Justice Kennedy
… Judges are not elected by the public. Isn’t the purpose of a counter-majoritarian institution precisely that it does not follow swings in public mood? Still, political scientists have amassed an impressive array of evidence in favor of the hypothesis that the Court follows changes in public opinion. But why? […] Read more »
Minorities Less Confident in Police, Small Business
U.S. nonwhites express greater confidence than whites in most major institutions in the country, particularly the presidency, television news, and Congress. Whites are more confident than nonwhites in the military, the police, and small business. [cont.] Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup Read more »