Commentary

The former vice president has faced challenges shoring up support among a key Democratic constituency: college students.

Liberals have been leaving organized religion in high numbers over the past few decades. Blaming the Democrats doesn’t capture the profound role that conservative Christian activists have played in transforming the country’s religious landscape.

Trump has found young white Evangelicals harder to win over. For many older white Evangelicals, Trump’s vigorous public defense of conservative Christians remains the most compelling reason to support his reelection.

Trump is not terribly popular on college campuses. What matters is how students feel about the political environment and their potential to affect it.

Living near community-oriented public and commercial spaces brings a host of social benefits. People living in amenity-rich communities are much less likely to feel isolated from others.

Perception of discrimination against LGBT people have plummeted in the last few years. Still, the drop has not coincided with a broader shift in the public’s thinking about discrimination in society overall.

One-quarter of Americans are religiously unaffiliated today, and Christian denominations are contending with massive drops. The success of the Mormon Church may have to do with their unrelenting focus on the family.

Only 58 percent of Mormon voters said they would back Trump over Democratic candidate Joe Biden, the current leading contender for the nomination.