by jpitney | Apr 20, 2021 | Civility, Democracy, Polarization, Public Opinion
Nate Cohn at NYT: This threat to democracy has a name: sectarianism. It’s not a term usually used in discussions about American politics. It’s better known in the context of religious sectarianism — like the hostility between Sunnis and Shia in Iraq. Yet a growing...
by jpitney | Mar 28, 2021 | Civil Rights, Democratic Primaries, First Amendment, Patriotism, Public Opinion
At The Liberal Patriot, Ruy Teixeira notes widely-held beliefs that pose challenges for progressive Democrats. Equality of opportunity is a fundamental American principle; equality of outcome is not. America is not perfect but it is good to be patriotic and proud of...
by jpitney | Feb 25, 2021 | Congress, Public Opinion
Jeffrey M. Jones at Gallup: Thirty-five percent of Americans currently approve of the way Congress is handling its job, a 10-percentage-point increase since January and the highest Gallup has measured in nearly 12 years. The current results are from a Feb. 3-18...
by jpitney | Jan 14, 2021 | Biden, civic virtue, Civility, Polarization, Public Opinion
From the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service Despite deep political polarization and levels of civil and political unrest not seen in a generation, American voters are cautiously optimistic about the future of our politics, according to the most recent...
by jpitney | Oct 20, 2020 | Polarization, Public Opinion
Daniel Stid at The Art of Association: Consider the findings of a recent study by political scientists Douglas Ahler and Gaurav Sood, “The Parties in Our Heads: Misperceptions About Party Composition and Their Consequences.” The authors draw on survey data...
by jpitney | Oct 5, 2020 | Civility, Deliberation, Public Opinion
Samuel Abrams at AEI: New data as part of the Survey Center on American Life, a project of AEI, reveals that our polarized discourse is impacting most Americans. Yet, the data also shows that most Americans are still open minded enough to find common ground with...
