Americans’ confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one. Only the military (72%) and small business (67%) — the highest-rated institutions in this year’s poll — are currently rated higher than their historical norms, based on the percentage expressing “a great deal” or “quite […] Read more »
Walker’s Tricky Balancing Act
What makes Scott Walker such a formidable candidate in the primary is also what makes him vulnerable in a general election. As Walker flexes his conservative muscle on everything from immigration to gay marriage to abortion, he also risks being easily portrayed as ‘out of touch’ to the moderate voters […] Read more »
Behind Scott Walker, a Longstanding Conservative Alliance Against Unions
… More than any of his potential rivals for the White House, Mr. Walker, 47, is a product of a loose network of conservative donors, think tanks and talk radio hosts who have spent years preparing the road for a politician who could successfully present their arguments for small government […] Read more »
Voter surveys must be neutral and without bias, pollsters say
Conducting surveys of voters’ attitudes on such controversial issues as teacher tenure, layoffs and seniority can be challenging and need to be handled with neutrality and without bias, according to the bipartisan team that handled a recent USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll. … Unions representing teachers expressed concerns about how […] Read more »
Mixed Views of Impact of Long-Term Decline in Union Membership
Over the past three decades, the share of wage and salary workers in the United States who belong to labor unions has fallen by about half. The public expresses mixed views of the impact of the long-term decline in union membership on the country: 45% say this has been mostly […] Read more »
Walker’s sudden jump to top-tier contender means exposure comes with an exaggerated impact
The rapid rise of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as a top-tier contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 is one of the more surprising stories of the opening months of this year. Whether he was prepared for this sudden emergence is an open question. CONT. Dan Balz, Washington Post Read more »