Two-thirds of Americans feel democracy is threatened. They also tell us that having “free and fair” elections is a key part of democracy. So how do those two things connect? For one, most across the party spectrum want their state’s elections to be run by a nonpartisan or bipartisan entity. […] Read more »
A year after Jan. 6, Americans say democracy is in peril but disagree on why
Americans by overwhelming margins see the nation’s democracy as in peril, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, but that chilling consensus is based on starkly conflicting assessments of the assault on the U.S. Capitol one year ago. The clash over what happened and why last Jan. 6 underscores how […] Read more »
Americans don’t agree on what to call Jan. 6 attack
A year since supporters of former President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol, Americans are split over how to describe what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. A new poll from the PBS NewsHour, NPR and Marist finds that roughly half of U.S. adults say an insurrection took place that threatened democracy, […] Read more »
American support for conspiracy theories and armed rebellion isn’t new – we just didn’t believe it before the Capitol insurrection
Rioters are tear-gassed as they storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Amanda J. Crawford, University of Connecticut Americans had to confront a new reality when an angry mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021: Some of their fellow citizens were […] Read more »
6 questions for politics in 2022
From control of Congress and the strength of the Biden presidency to potential Jan. 6 committee revelations and the future of abortion rights, there’s a lot at stake in 2022. We have lots of questions about what’s ahead. Here are six: 1. Can Biden turn it around?President Biden ended 2021 […] Read more »
Most Republicans still believe the dangerous falsehood at the heart of Jan. 6
… To be clear, most Americans reject the idea that the election of Joe Biden was not legitimate or that there’s solid evidence that fraud occurred, both obviously false assertions. But most Republicans hold both of those views or, at least, say they do. Some of this may be performative, […] Read more »