Does the Supreme Court's Declining Popularity Matter?
It could make the Court more vulnerable to political attack and to measures such as court-packing. But the vulnerability might not be great - or last long.
Public Opinion
A New York Times Reporter Claims Americans Distrust the Government's COVID-19 Advice Because They Don't Understand How Science Works
If so, public health officials have compounded the problem with disingenuous arguments, dubious policy shifts, and misleading statements.
Poll: People Like Amazon More Than Any Institution but the U.S. Military
Plus: Laws against teaching critical race theory are un-American, ditching tariffs could save lives, and more...
80 Percent of Americans Say Abortion Should Sometimes Be Legal
Plus: Columbus cops charged over treatment of protesters, Biden cancels Trump's TikTok ban, and more...
Can Republicans Be Persuaded To Restrict Qualified Immunity?
Polling shows a sharp partisan divide on the issue, but it also suggests that compromise might be possible.
Will Pro-Life Politicians Face a Backlash If the Supreme Court Lets Them Restrict Abortion?
National surveys obscure large regional variations in public opinion about abortion limits.
Our Moral Judgments Affect Our Perception of COVID Risk
Plus: Wired is wrong about Section 230, the Democratic disagreement over a SALT deduction cap, and more...
Americans Oppose Deportations, Remain Skeptical About Asylum Seekers
Plus: SPCA sues for First Amendment rights of pet owners and veterinarians, an epic antitrust battle between Apple and Fortnite's parent company begins, and more...
Americans Reject Far-Left Rhetoric About the Rich, Have Positive Views of Tech CEOs
Plus: Kentucky adopts school choice program, the vaccine passport debate heats up, and more...
For the First Time, a Majority of Republicans Support Same-Sex Marriage
Plus: Appeals court considers whether nonstop surveillance violate due process, Utah governor signs porn filter bill into law, and more...
Public Opinion Supports Covid Vaccine Challenge Trials
A recent study finds broad support for the idea in many countries, including the US.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Keeps Proving Deadly to Liberty
As the pandemic rages on, nominally free countries are sliding down a path blazed by authoritarian regimes.
Most Americans Don't Trust Cops Much, a New Gallup Poll Reveals
The results reflect the impact of increasing publicity about police abuses.
The Extremely Online Are Less Informed About Political News, More Informed About Conspiracy Theories
Plus: Congress moves forward on encryption backdoors, largest school districts aren't reopening, and more...
Americans Are Isolating Themselves Less, but That Doesn't Mean They Are Abandoning COVID-19 Precautions
Sensible social distancing does not require staying in your house.
COVID-19 Reminds Us: Social Media Is Good, Actually
Will coronavirus help rehabilitate tech's rep?
What Americans Think About Prostitution Laws
Plus: Buttigieg ekes out a win in Iowa, Mitt Romney blows everyone's minds, and more...
It's Bill of Rights Day. Do Americans Still Care?
The greatest threat to protections for our freedom may be people's fear that people who disagree with them are exercising their rights.
Young Americans Oppose Mandatory National Service, Military or Otherwise
That could be bad news for 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.
More Americans Want Bigger Government—If It's Free
A more active government wins growing approval, but only so long as it doesn’t raise taxes, require tradeoffs, or interfere with private enterprise.
A Survey Finds Speech Restrictions Are Pretty Popular. That's Why We Need the First Amendment.
Most respondents, especially millennials, favored viewpoint-based censorship, suppression of "hurtful or offensive" speech in certain contexts, and legal penalties for wayward news organizations.
Government Employees Think People Hate Them. Increasingly, They're Right
Many arms of government are unpopular with large swathes of the American population.
Americans Voice Growing Support for School Choice
People also want more funds for public schools, but support drops when they're informed of current expenditures.
Trump's Trade War Is Already Unpopular. New Tariffs on Scotch Whisky, Italian Pasta, and French Cheese Won't Help.
Even a majority of Republicans now tell pollsters that the trade war is costing Americans, and there's no easy justification for targeting European cultural goods.
Liberalism at All-Time High in 68-Year Survey of American Mood
Plus: Workplace fatalities down in places with medical marijuana, bad news booze bans at strip clubs, pushback to panic about Big Tech, and more...
As a Deadline for Legalizing Marijuana in Illinois Approaches, a New Poll Finds Strong Public Support
According to the survey, three-fifth of voters think pot should be legal for recreational use.
9 Governors Get 'A' Grades for Marijuana Reform, Up From 2 Last Year
NORML's 2019 scorecard shows that governors, including half a dozen who are pushing for legalization in their states, are beginning to reflect public opinion.
Most Americans Support Immigration, Regardless of Age
Pew survey data complicate the young/old and left/right framing of this issue.
Mail Bomber Cesar Sayoc Threatened Me on Facebook
How it happened and what (if anything) we can learn from such cases.
The Importance of Making the Moral Case for Immigration
Advocates for immigrants would do well to emphasize moral arguments more than appeals to the narrow self-interest of native-born Americans.
Don't Take Too Much Comfort From Surveys Showing Widespread Opposition to "Political Correctness"
Many who oppose "political correctness" also support a variety of specific types of censorship.
Hey, Progressives and Conservatives: You're Stuck With Each Other
So long as anything resembling legitimate elections continue to be held, no political coalition will gain a permanent lock on the future.
News Outlets Ignore Millennials' Skepticism of Gun Control
Youth opinion on firearms is far from monolithic.
Poll Commissioned by Pot Prohibitionists Shows How Unpopular Pot Prohibition Is
A survey by an anti-marijuana group finds that only 16 percent of Americans support the current federal policy.
Gallup Finds Record Support for Legalizing Marijuana, Including Most Republicans
According to the latest survey, 64 percent of all American adults and 51 percent of Republicans think pot should be legal.
OMG, No: Negative Opinion Polls Are Not Fake News
Even if pollsters have whiffed on a bunch of recent elections
Less Than One-Third of Americans Want to See Roe v. Wade Overturned
A majority of both Republicans and Democrats think the Supreme Court should leave Roe alone.
Are 'Russian Hacks' the New 'WMDs'?
No matter what faceless spooks assure us, it's far from clear the Russian government directed the leaks of the DNC or John Podesta emails.
Public Support for "Assault Weapon" Ban Hits All-Time Low
Past and present history give no reason to believe there'd be any public safety benefit to such a ban.
Two Major Surveys Find Record Support for Legalizing Marijuana
According to Gallup, 60 percent of Americans oppose pot prohibition.
Poll: Most Americans Reject Criminal Penalties for Prostitution
Republicans, women, and those ages 45 and older were the most likely to say that selling or paying for sex should be illegal.
No, the U.S. Is Not an Oligarchy
The middle class is just as likely to get its way as are the rich, a new paper finds.
Six Percent of Americans Have Accepted Payment for Sex
For those ages 30-44, it rises to almost 10 percent. But most Americans still think prostitution is "morally wrong."
Gender Stereotypes Have Budged Little Since the Early '80s
American perceptions about male and female roles, traits, and behaviors show little change since 1983.
DOJ Report: 'Males, Whites, Republicans' and Porn Watchers Hold 'Incorrect Beliefs' About Sex Trafficking
Don't worry, the feds will fix those for you.
