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

Research Associate | @klehshey

Kelsey Eyre Hammond 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

Family in wheat field at sunset

Daniel A. Cox
March 5, 2024

The Societal Cost of the Marriage Decline

Marriage is positively associated with greater community involvement across a range of different activities.

Young man laying down scrolling on his cell phone

Daniel A. Cox
February 9, 2024

Gen Z’s Romance Gap: Why Nearly Half of Young Men Aren’t Dating

Until very recently, American culture has operated on the flawed notion that teenage dating and sex required little encouragement. Teenage romance was once seen as a natural part of American adolescence. This, it turns out, is completely wrong. Teenage dating is not inevitable and it’s a rapidly disappearing part of the American teenage experience. These

Young man and woman walking away from one another

Daniel A. Cox
January 23, 2024

The War within Gen Z

Young men and women no longer agree on anything. What happened?

Teenage boy texting

Daniel A. Cox
November 21, 2023

Smells Like Teen Solitude

Smartphone and parenting trends have pushed off major life milestones.