Patriotism, religious faith, having children and other priorities that helped define the national character for generations are receding in importance to Americans, a new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll finds. The survey, conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, also finds the country sharply divided by […] Read more »
Majorities of Americans Approve of Citizens and Elected Officials Speaking Their Minds on Politics, but Not Public School Teachers
Majorities of Americans are supportive of fellow citizens, members of Congress, and professional athletes speaking their minds about politics, but not public school teachers in the classroom – according to the newest edition of the Grinnell College National Poll. The findings of the poll, conducted March 14–19, 2023, by Selzer […] Read more »
Why Red v. Blue Became Me v. You: Polarization, Part II
A political identity–being a liberal or Democrat (a “D”) versus being a conservative or Republican (an “R”)–has become viscerally more important to more Americans, reaching partisan intensities not seen for at least a century and not seen elsewhere in the western world. R’s and D’s have increasingly and heatedly differed […] Read more »
Three big numbers that tell the story of secularization in America
An empty church in Hiers-Brouage, France. Andia/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Phil Zuckerman, Pitzer College About six months ago, Americans’ belief in God hit an all-time low. According to a 2022 Gallup survey, the percentage of people who believe in God has dropped from 98% in the 1950s to […] Read more »
Trump is exploiting an anti-trans turn in public opinion
Donald Trump’s new gender policy proposals — which would bar federal agencies from promoting “the concept of sex and gender transition at any age” and require the government to recognize male and female, as assigned at birth, as the only genders — are aimed both at his fervent base and […] Read more »
These are the GOP voters who may decide Trump’s fate in 2024
Donald Trump’s fate in the 2024 GOP presidential race may pivot on whether he can retain the surprisingly broad support he secured in 2016 from an unexpected group of Republican voters. Probably the biggest surprise in Trump’s march to the GOP nomination in 2016 was the large number of votes […] Read more »