I woke up Wednesday morning thinking about my children. Among the final edits I made to the manuscript for my book Backslide was to the dedication page, which reads: “For my children, and to those born later.” I wrote those words…
Democratic Enthusiasm, the 19th Amendment, and the End of the Multiracial MAGA Narrative
With the midterms less than two weeks away, PRRI’s 2026 American Values Survey sheds light on the issues Americans care most about and how such issues may shape their votes—and American politics and culture in the years ahead. There’s much…
Are Gen Z women and men diverging politically?
In 2024, Donald Trump made significant inroads among young men compared with his previous campaigns. Young women, however, remained among the voters least likely to vote for Trump, resulting in a wider gender gap among young voters than among men and women…
Nearly Half Of Republicans See This 1 Quality As A Threat — And It Speaks Volumes About Their Priorities
The right has a growing empathy problem. Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, a new survey from Washington, D.C.-based Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) found that Democrats (84%) and Independents (70%) are more likely than Republicans (53%) to see empathy…
Yes, pretend Trump is on the ballot, because he is
According to Frederick Buechner, one of my favorite writers, “Generally speaking, if you want to know who you really are, as distinct from who you like to think you are, keep an eye on where your feet take you.” So,…
One-fourth of independents who voted for Trump regret their choice
Nearly one-fourth of independent voters who voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election now regret their vote. That’s according to new data from Public Religion Research Institute’s 2026 American Values Survey. Nationwide, 13% of Trump voters regret their…
Huge majorities of Americans favor ethics reforms for elected officials
Large majorities of Americans favor ethics reforms for members of Congress and Supreme Court justices, according to new data from Public Religion Research Institute. As part of its annual American Values Survey, PRRI asked respondents whether there should be term…
More Americans believe Trump is ‘dangerous dictator’
An increasing number of Americans consider Donald Trump a threat to democracy and even more believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction, according to a new study by Public Religion Research Institute. PRRI’s 17th annual American Values Survey,…
‘Remember, most Americans oppose Christian nationalism’
Christian nationalists get so much attention that it’s important to focus on the majority of Americans who completely or partially disavow the ideology, sociologist Ruth Brunstein said. “The Trump administration has made both symbolic and institutional gestures toward enshrining a…
Coalition urges care for freedom of religion and speech
Freedom of religion and freedom of speech are deeply interwoven, and a threat to one is a danger to the other, representatives from more than 20 faith and civil rights organizations said. “We come together as librarians, diverse clergy, constitutional…
The role of white Christian voters in 2026 midterms
There is good reason to believe female voters may be crucial to Democrats’ effort to retake control of Congress — particularly if past is prologue. In the 2018 midterms, during Donald Trump’s first term, 58% of women voted for congressional…
In 3 charts: White Christian nationalists’ love of ICE and concentration camps
As the empirical evidence for the threat white Christian nationalism presents to pluralistic democracy has mounted over the past decade, various insider defenders of conservative white Christianity — and even some mainstream white Christian theologians — have alleged the term…