A group adults sit in a backyard while one of them barbeques.

Suburbs Are Not Less Social Than Cities

AEIdeas

Samuel J. Abrams June 8, 2021

Many believe there are meaningful differences in sociability based on where Americans reside. New data from AEI’s Survey Center on American Life counters this narrative and finds little difference in the social lives of urbanites, suburbanites, and their rural counterparts.  

Photo of U.S. President Joseph R. Biden

Biden’s Push For Big Government Solutions is Popular Now — But it Could Backfire

FiveThirtyEight

Daniel A. Cox May 5, 2021

In the wake of a once-in-a-generation pandemic that has required sustained national intervention and leadership, Americans may be coming around to the benefits of big government.

A crowd of protestors atop of a monument, waving confederate flags and Trump flags

Support for Political Violence Among Americans is on the Rise. It’s a Grim Warning About America’s Political Future.

Business Insider

Daniel A. Cox March 26, 2021

In the wake of the Capitol uprising, we have been forced to reckon with the uncomfortable truth that political violence is no longer a theoretical concern.

Aerial photo of two children eating breakfast with their mother. A fourth plate is set at the table but no one occupies its seat.

Democrats and Republicans Should Argue More — Not Less

FiveThirtyEight

Daniel A. Cox December 22, 2020

Our survey showed that when our social circles include a more diverse mix of political beliefs, we are more open to argument and less ideologically extreme. And, arguably, the best way to get to this point is to discuss — and disagree about — politics more.

Could Social Alienation Among Some Trump Supporters Help Explain Why Polls Underestimated Trump Again?

FiveThirtyEight

Daniel A. Cox November 24, 2020

There was a large swing to Trump among white voters who had low levels of social trust — a group that researchers have found is also less likely to participate in telephone surveys.

The 2020 Election Was a Perfect Example of the Weaknesses — and Strengths — of Political Polls

Business Insider

Daniel A. Cox November 19, 2020

For those of us interested in understanding the world, polling offers an incredibly useful and cost-effective tool. It’s critical that we get it right.

What’s Going on with Republican Women?

Bulwark

Daniel A. Cox, Brent Orrell October 26, 2020

It is easy to discount QAnon—but the reality is it is quickly emerging from the shadows into a full-blown political movement that periodically receives the passive, and at times, active support of the president of the United States.

Biden’s ‘Seize the Center’ Campaign Strategy May Just Deliver Him the White House

Business Insider

Daniel A. Cox October 25, 2020

If Biden is able to capitalize on the current set of circumstances presented by an unpopular incumbent, he may show the efficacy of persuasion-based tactics simply by demonstrating that there are more persuadable voters than many of us think.

More and More Americans aren’t Religious. Why are Democrats Ignoring These Voters?

FiveThirtyEight

Daniel A. Cox, Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux September 17, 2020

Often lost in this, though, is the fact that Democrats are mostly ignoring a massive group of voters who are becoming an increasingly crucial part of their base: people who don’t have any religion at all.

What Happens to Parents When Community Spaces Close?

RealClearPolicy

Daniel A. Cox, Samuel J. Abrams August 12, 2020

If it takes a village to raise a child, what happens to parents when the village goes into lockdown?

Survey Reports

Daniel A. Cox, Kyle Gray, Kelsey Eyre Hammond
May 28, 2024

An Unsettled Electorate: How Uncertainty and Apathy Are Shaping the 2024 Election

A survey of more than 6,500 US adults focused on the 2024 presidential election reveals a pessimistic and unsettled American electorate fractured by education, ideology, class, and gender.

Generation Z and the Transformation of American Adolescence Cover Image

Daniel A. Cox, Kelsey Eyre Hammond, Kyle Gray
November 9, 2023

Generation Z and the Transformation of American Adolescence: How Gen Z’s Formative Experiences Shape Its Politics, Priorities, and Future

This report explores the foundational differences between American generations through their formative adolescent experiences.

Young man sitting in a dark room before a wall featuring various conspiracy theory-related items illuminated by a computer screen

Daniel A. Cox, M. Anthony Mills, Ian R. Banks, Kelsey Eyre Hammond, Kyle Gray
September 28, 2023

America’s Crisis of Confidence: Rising Mistrust, Conspiracies, and Vaccine Hesitancy After COVID-19

America is experiencing a crosscutting crisis of expertise and scientific distrust accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic that poses significant challenges to democratic debate and public decision-making

A cartoon showing a vibrant office from the ceiling view.

Daniel A. Cox, Brent Orrell, Kyle Gray, Jessie Wall
September 14, 2023

The Social Workplace: Social Capital, Human Dignity, and Work in America, Volume II

The Social Workplace, Volume II examines Americans’ expectations and experiences surrounding work, the workplace, and key job-related priorities such as pay and interpersonal connections.