Politics & Government
[07.11.2012]
Jewish Americans may be a relatively small voting bloc, but they remain at the center of a battle for their political loyalty, with Republicans seeking to paint a dismal portrait of Democrats’ record on Israel. A new analysis of Jewish voting patterns in presidential elections from 1972 to 2008 from the nonpartisan Solomon Project, however, shows (once again) that efforts to pry a substantial number of Jewish voters away from… more
[07.03.2012]
In a new article for the Huffington Post, I explore one largely ignored aspect of the debate over health care reform–the role played by racial identity: In the reactions to the ruling, the powerful way that racial identity shapes attitudes toward the health care law, as well as how this may influence the law’s impact in the -residential race, has been largely overlooked. Comparisons between these key supporters of Romney,… more
[06.28.2012]
Opposition to President Obama’s health care reform law has been the heart and soul of many Tea Party activities since the law’s passage in 2010, so it’s unsurprising to see that so many Tea Party members favor action by the Supreme Court to overturn the law. After all, as this graph shows, no group was more supportive of the Supreme Court overturning the health care law than members of the… more
[05.01.2012]
The one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden has prompted a fierce political skirmish about whether it is within the bounds of decency for President Obama to tout the terrorist mastermind’s death. But it’s also worth taking a moment to look back on Americans’ reactions to the news of the notorious terrorist’s death. Last May, a PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey took the nation’s pulse on the issue just days after bin… more
[05.01.2012]
Today, the John C. Danforth Center at Washington University in St. Louis is launching Religion & Politics, a new online journal that focuses on the role religion plays in the civic and political life of the United States. In her introductory note, the editor, Dr. Marie Griffith, sets forth an ambitious but worthy goal. Religion, she observes, “has always been entwined in American politics.” As the country ages, burgeoning religious… more
[03.26.2012]
This week, the Supreme Court will be the focus of intense scrutiny as oral arguments about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (or “Obamacare,” as even the Obama campaign now calls it) unfold. Americans lined up for hours, some camping overnight, for the opportunity to watch the arguments. A number of protesters milled around, some accompanied by a brass band. One thing is for sure: even if the Supreme… more
[03.22.2012]
According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 38% of Americans believe that there is too much expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders, compared to 30% who say there has been too little and 25% who say that there has been the right amount. Since Pew asked the question in 2001, there has been a 26-point increase in the percentage of people who believe there is too much expression… more
[03.15.2012]
In our February Religion & Politics Tracking Survey, we found that a majority (55%) of Americans agree that employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception and birth control at no cost. Probing deeper into Americans’ feelings on this issue, we asked in our March PRRI/RNS Religious News Survey about what types of employers should be required to provide contraception coverage to their employees at no cost…. more
[02.09.2012]
PRRI’s February Religion & Politics Tracking Survey has been in the news quite a bit recently, given the ongoing controversy around whether religiously affiliated hospitals, colleges and social agencies should be required to provide birth control at no cost to their employees through their health insurance plans. This is a complicated issue, and most of the coverage of the poll has focused on a question that asked respondents about the… more
[02.09.2012]
Rumors are flying fast and furious that the Obama administration, pelted by blows from the Catholic Church and Republicans over its regulation requiring religiously affiliated colleges, hospitals and charities to provide employees with no-co-pay birth control, could be poised to back into a compromise. The impetus for such a concession seems to be the fear that Catholic voters, a group crucial to Obama’s reelection effort, may abandon him over this… more
