Daniel A. Cox, PhD

Director | @dcoxpolls

Daniel A. Cox is the director of the Survey Center on American Life and a senior fellow in polling and public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). Under his leadership, the center is focused on public opinion and survey research, on topics such as religious change and measurement, social capital, and youth politics. Before joining AEI, he was the research director at PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute), which he cofounded and where he led the organization’s qualitative and quantitative research program.

He is also the coauthor of numerous academic book chapters, journal articles, and conference papers on topics relating to religious polarization, anti-Muslim attitudes in the US, religious tolerance of atheists, and new methods for measuring social class and religious belief.

Dr. Cox’s work is frequently featured in the popular press, including in the Atlantic, CNN, and the Washington Post. He is a contributor to FiveThirtyEight and Insider.

Dr. Cox holds a PhD and an MA in American government from Georgetown University, where he focused on public opinion, political behavior, and religion and politics.  Read more.

Kelsey Eyre Hammond

Program Coordinator and Researcher | @klehshey

Kelsey Eyre Hammond is a program coordinator here at American Enterprise Institute (AEI)’s Survey Center on American Life. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Brigham Young University with a minor in Mandarin Chinese.

Kelsey has researched and written about partisan trust, partisan sorting, and the intersection of politics and religion. Her interests include public opinion regarding societal and cultural norms and phenomenons, women’s experiences, and trends in religion.


Avery Shields

Research Assistant

Avery Shields is a Research Assistant at AEI’s Survey Center on American Life. She graduated from the George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in French Language, Literature, and Culture.

Avery has researched racial demographic change and the evolution of the American electorate. Her interests lie in understanding how Americans process political information and the factors that influence support for democratic institutions among the voting population.

Jae Grace

Research Assistant

Jae Grace is a Research Assistant at AEI’s Survey Center on American Life. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Barnard College with a minor in Economics.

Jae has researched political behavior with a focus on religious coalitions and the political attitudes of religious voters. Her interests include demographic trends, shifting political coalitions, and the overlay of religious and political identity.


Recent Commentary

Daniel A. Cox
August 28, 2024

Kamala’s Gen Z problem

In the 48 hours after Kamala Harris announced her run for president on July 21, nearly 40,000 people registered to vote on vote.org — 83% of whom were under 35.

Daniel A. Cox
July 15, 2024

The GOP is Poised to Make Gains With Young Voters

Of the many ways that Donald Trump has scrambled the country’s political demography, none is more surprising than the way he changed the GOP’s relationship with young voters.

Daniel A. Cox
June 20, 2024

The Surprising Issue That Could Help Biden With Young Voters

Young voters are less supportive of Biden than they were in 2020. Embracing immigration may be the key to reclaiming the youth vote.

Family in wheat field at sunset

Daniel A. Cox
March 5, 2024

The Societal Cost of the Marriage Decline

Marriage rates are plummeting. More young people are delaying or avoiding dating altogether. Pew Research recently found that 1 in 4 40-year-old American adults have never been married. Parenthood is viewed with much greater apprehension among young people than it once was.