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

Research Associate | @klehshey

Kelsey Eyre is a research associate 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.


Kyle Gray

Research Assistant

Kyle Gray is a research assistant at AEI’s Survey Center on American Life conducting public opinion research. 

Kyle received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy alongside a minor in Religion from Vassar College. He also holds a Master’s degree in Education Policy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kyle’s academic interests include philosophy of education, the interplay of secular and religious influences in public life, and civic education and civic virtue.

Kyle brings previous experience in both real estate finance and tall ship sailing, and is an avid outdoorsman.


Beatrice Lee

Research Assistant

Beatrice Lee is a research assistant for Politics and Public Opinion Studies and the Survey Center on American Life at the American Enterprise Institute. She works with AEI senior fellow Daniel A. Cox and visiting scholar Samuel J. Abrams compiling and analyzing polls on a variety of contemporary political and social issues. Before joining AEI, Beatrice worked as a research assistant for Middlebury College, where she developed course material on survey methodology and introductory statistics. She graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in Economics.

Recent Commentary

Teenage boy texting

Daniel A. Cox
November 21, 2023

Smells Like Teen Solitude

Smartphone and parenting trends have pushed off major life milestones.

Daniel A. Cox
November 15, 2023

Are The Kids Alright?

What on earth is happening with young voters? A New York Times/Siena College poll of six battleground states found Joe Biden with a one-point lead over former president Trump among 18 to 29 year old registered voters, representing a 25-point swing from the 2020 election. There’s no doubt that Biden is less popular today than when he first

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Steer N' Stein bar at the Iowa State Fair on August 12, 2023. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Daniel A. Cox
September 10, 2023

Trump is Not as Strong as He Looks

Despite an early polling lead, Donald Trump’s position in the 2024 GOP primary is more tenuous than it appears.

farmers in the fields

Daniel A. Cox
August 17, 2023

Boys Aren’t Growing More Conservative. They’re Just Not That Into Politics.

In fact, many young people remain politically noncommittal as they figure out where they fit in.