Director, Survey Center on American Life
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 a variety of topics, including the gender divide among Gen Z, cultural and religious change in the U.S., dating and romantic relationships, friendship, and social disconnection. Before joining AEI, he was the research director at PRRI (Public Religion Research Institute). He started his polling career at the Pew Research Center.
Dr. Cox is the author of Generation Uncoupled (Penguin Random House), a book exploring the increasingly complex relationships between young men and women and the decline of dating and long-term partnerships. Drawing on extensive surveys and qualitative interviews among young adults, this book will examine the challenges of modern masculinity, the growing education gap, and the impact of social media in an era of diminished personal connection and rising mistrust. The book also considers how young people’s approach to relationships is changing in the face of deepening disconnection and heightened fears around safety after #MeToo.
He currently writes the biweekly newsletter, American Storylines, which provides polling-based commentary focusing on Americans’ everyday experiences, challenges and aspirations, drawn from his own polling and other published research.
Experience
- American University: Fellow, 2019–present
- Business Insider: Contributor, 2019–present
- FiveThirtyEight: Contributor, 2016–2025
- PRRI: Cofounder; Research Director, 2009–18
- Pew Research Center: Research Associate, 2007–08
Education
PhD, MA, American government, Georgetown University
BA, political science, Union College