The benefits of going to a place “where everyone knows your name”

November 23, 2020 Daniel A. Cox

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, these community spaces look a little different right now. Coffee shops, restaurants, and parks have more importance than ever in connecting us to our community and to the world outside our homes.

Biden’s message of unity is welcomed by most Americans

November 13, 2020 Samuel J. Abrams

Biden’s desire to move past the divisiveness that has marked the Trump presidency, the question that follows is simple: Are Americans actually open to working with others and trying to find the middle ground?

The 2020 election was not primarily about Trump as a person

November 9, 2020 Samuel J. Abrams

Biden will have the challenge of finding common ground with all Americans, but Biden already took the right steps when he declared in his acceptance speech that “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again.”

The 2020 religion vote

November 6, 2020 Daniel A. Cox

Religious voters lined up behind their preferred candidates in familiar ways in the 2020 presidential election, but there were some notable shifts.

Our media bubbles reflect a larger problem of political segregation

October 27, 2020 Daniel A. Cox

A new study from the Survey Center on American Life finds that Republican trust in conservative media outlets is closely tied to the political composition of their friendship network, and not solely due to partisan affinities.

Don’t believe the Trump hype: Who is actually protesting in 2020

October 21, 2020 Samuel J. Abrams

Even with COVID-19 dominating the news and people being asked to stay home and social distance, Americans are leaving their homes to protest the state of the nation ahead of the November Presidential election.

For Republicans, abortion attitudes differ depending on the composition of their social circle

October 7, 2020 Daniel A. Cox, Samantha Goldstein

Although abortion attitudes are highly polarized between the two parties and the issue remains contentious, among Republicans, views vary depending on their political networks.

Democrats and Republicans believe their opponents’ policies threaten the national interest

September 30, 2020 Daniel A. Cox

Lost amid the rhetorical brinksmanship in the fight to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who recently passed after battling pancreatic cancer, is the reason Republicans believe this particular fight is necessary and why Democrats are unlikely to take a measured response.

More Americans see Trump as conservative

May 8, 2020 Daniel A. Cox

No one should underestimate Trump’s chances this year — in fact, before the coronavirus outbreak most Americans said he was likely to be reelected.

The urban-rural divide over the coronavirus outbreak

April 16, 2020 Daniel A. Cox, Jacqueline Clemence

Despite clear partisan gaps in views about the coronavirus outbreak, where Americans live is shaping how they respond to it.

Daniel A. Cox, Karlyn Bowman, Jacqueline Clemence
November 18, 2020

Hopes and challenges for community and civic life: Perspectives from the nation and Indiana

The coronavirus outbreak has created tensions between urban Americans hit harder by the virus and small towns and rural communities. Despite these disparities, recently released surveys find that before coronavirus, Americans express many of the same ideas and priorities regarding their communities, revealing we may not be as divided as one might think.

Daniel A. Cox, John Halpin
October 13, 2020

Conspiracy theories, misinformation, COVID-19, and the 2020 election

The September 2020 American Perspectives Survey tested various existing conspiracy theories about politics and misconceptions about public health to ascertain overall support for these ideas and examine whether demographic or partisan backgrounds are associated with greater propensity to accept or reject certain theories.

Daniel A. Cox, Ryan Streeter, Samuel J. Abrams, Jacqueline Clemence
September 30, 2020

Socially distant: How our divided social networks explain our politics

The American National Social Network Survey is designed to help us understand how the nature of personal networks and relationships conditions personal behavior and influences decisions.

Daniel A. Cox
July 15, 2020

STEM perspectives: Attitudes, opportunities, and barriers in America’s STEM workforce

In a survey of STEM graduates, our scholars explore opinions of the STEM field, career satisfaction, and why some STEM degree holders have exited the field.

American Life Blog