Are you American? What do you think about when you answer this question? Do you think in terms of citizenship? Cultural attributes? Certain values? When Grinnell College, where we are both faculty members, polled Americans on what they most associate with being a “real” American, the vast majority of respondents […] Read more »
Poll asks what makes a ‘real American?’
The trait most important to being a “real American” is to believe in treating people equally, according to a Grinnell College poll released on Monday. Offered a list of traits, 90% of respondents said treating people equally is very important, followed by taking personal responsibility for one’s actions (88% said […] Read more »
Democrats Lead Surge in Belief U.S. Should Be World Leader
Three-fourths (75%) of Americans today think the United States has “a special responsibility to be the leading nation in world affairs,” up from 66% in 2010. The surge is driven by Democrats, whose belief in this idea has increased from 61% eight years ago to 81% now. CONT. Jim Norman, […] Read more »
Two Visions of Patriotism Clash in the Midterm Elections
President Trump has spent his 21 months in office labeling his critics as unpatriotic. … As the nation goes to the polls in what is widely seen as a referendum on the president’s conduct, policies and character, both his supporters and his opponents are expressing sharply contrasting views on issues […] Read more »
Trump-Driven Polarization Reflects Divergent Views of America’s Future
Days before the 2018 midterm elections, a wide-ranging new survey from PRRI finds that partisans see two entirely different American futures. The survey shows Republicans’ vision for the country’s future is increasingly distant from the vision largely shared by Democrats and independents. And in the religious landscape, white evangelicals’ vision […] Read more »
No Wonder America Is Divided. We Can’t Even Agree on What Our Values Mean
These days, it feels like any group of three or more Americans talking politics can’t make it past the first minute before the animosity and cynicism boils over and derails the conversation. Too many of us are too angry to listen, to learn or — God forbid — to work […] Read more »