Commentary November 21, 2023

Smells Like Teen Solitude

The Dispatch

Daniel A. Cox

Teenage boy texting

Ask someone about the best decade for music and chances are they’ll look back at their adolescence. Baby Boomers believe the greatest music hits were created before 1970. Millennials hold up the 1990s as an exemplar. And for Generation Z, it’s after 2010.

Commentary November 15, 2023

Are The Kids Alright?

The Liberal Patriot

Daniel A. Cox

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.

Commentary September 10, 2023

Trump is Not as Strong as He Looks

The Liberal Patriot

Daniel A. Cox

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)

With just a few months before the first votes are cast in the Republican primary, Donald Trump commands a 41-point lead according to the polling average calculated by Real Clear Politics. Even more impressive, his lead appears to have grown in recent months. But Trump’s position is more tenuous than it appears.

The rapid increase in liberal identity among young women has led some to speculate that young men are moving in the opposite direction.

Commentary June 29, 2023

Nonreligious Americans are the New Abortion Voters

FiveThirtyEight

Daniel A. Cox, Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux

Abortion protesters gathered with "love them both" and "keep abortion legal" signs

When Roe v. Wade was overturned last year, many white evangelical Protestants didn’t just see the Supreme Court’s ruling as a political win — it was a spiritual victory. For decades, religious conservatives have been singularly focused on ending the constitutional right to abortion, a priority that few other demographic groups shared.

Americans are trapped in a loneliness epidemic. Across the country, people are having fewer social interactions, spending more time alone, and reporting fewer close friends.

Commentary May 18, 2023

Some Evangelical Voters Aren’t Sold On Trump. Will That Help DeSantis?

FiveThirtyEight

Daniel A. Cox, Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux

Former President Donald Trump spoke via video to attendees of the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition Spring Kick-Off on April 22. Data suggests Trump is weaker among college-educated white evangelical voters than he was in his 2016 campaign. SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES

The issue of abortion could be one of former President Donald Trump’s biggest weaknesses in the Republican primary — and Ron DeSantis is trying to take advantage of it. “He won’t answer whether he would sign it or not,” the governor of Florida said on Tuesday, referring to a ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

Commentary April 11, 2023

American Politics Needs a New National Purpose

Daniel A. Cox

President John F. Kennedy delivers his famous “We Choose to Go to the Moon” speech at Rice University on September 12, 1962. (Source: NASA)

The United States seems to have lost its way as a country. Americans have generally low regard for our political leaders, little faith in our institutions, and even less in each other. Our politics are defined by acrimony and division.

A full work week. Hours on housework, yard work, time spent with your kids or partner. Then there’s all the time we spend online. Where is the time for friends?

Research shows that the more friends we have, the less likely we are to be depressed or anxious, and work friendships boost productivity and worker retention

Survey Reports

Daniel A. Cox, Jae Grace, Avery Shields
April 27, 2026

Strangers Next Door: The Decline of Neighborhood Socializing and the Class Divide in Belonging

Acknowledgment The American Enterprise Institute’s Survey Center on American Life is grateful to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for its generous support of this research. As Americans spend more of their time online, the neighborhood—once a primary physical location for real-world socialization—is playing less of a central role than ever before. Since

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
November 20, 2025

Individuality and Moral Behavior: A Generational Divide in Moral Judgments and Self-Expression

Younger and older Americans increasingly disagree on the morality of certain behaviors, reflecting deep shifts in views about individuality, self-expression, and the role of community and faith.

Daniel A. Cox
July 2, 2025

America’s Cultural Crossroads: Enduring Discontent, Rising Disconnection, and an Uncertain Future

A new survey from the Survey Center on American Life shows Americans are changing course on major cultural issues—from immigration and gay rights to gender roles and public trust.

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
January 29, 2025

Romantic Recession: How Politics, Pessimism, and Anxiety Shape American Courtship

A new report by the Survey Center on American life finds that safety concerns and declining trust are reshaping modern dating, leaving many singles feeling pessimistic about their prospects. Sharp gender divides in attitudes toward dating apps, trust, and relationships reveal how these challenges are redefining the search for connection.