New research from Public Agenda shows voters are primed for further engagement in civic life, whether they voted for Barack Obama or not. Many observers have worried that the nation's troubled balloting system would turn voters off from participation, in or out of the voting booth, but our new Voter Experience Survey suggests otherwise.
Research Studies: Civics, Government & Voting
Voters' Experiences In 2008 And The Future Of Engagement:
Religion and Public Life, 2000-2004: Survey Shows Religious Americans Less Likely to Support Compromise
This survey, a follow-up to For Goodness' Sake, compares how Americans' views of religion in public life have changed since 2000. The survey found a smaller number of Americans who believe that deeply religious elected officials sometimes have to compromise in the political arena (although slim majorities still do). There are major decreases among those who attend religious services weekly.
Knowing It By Heart: Americans Consider the Constitution and its Meaning
While most Americans admit they do not have detailed knowledge about the Constitution and Bill of Rights, they seem to have absorbed its core values of protecting the rights of all citizens. Most respondents were able to put aside their personal views on controversial issues such as homelessness and abortion to consider the rights of others. But two-thirds express concerns that the rich have more rights than others and that their right to privacy is under threat. Conducted for the National Constitution Center and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
A Lot To Be Thankful For: What Parents Want Children to Learn About America
What should public schools teach children about being an American today? This ground-breaking study investigates native-born and foreign-born parents' beliefs on whether a set of "American values" should be taught to kids by the public schools and, if so, what this would mean. Among the issues examined are conflicts over curricula – "mainstream" versus multicultural approaches to history and literature, and the teaching of science and religion; views about the responsibilities and rights of citizenship; and attitudes toward diversity. 1998. Technical Appendix: $40.00.
Dear Mr. Bittle and Mr. Rochkind: From Thomas L. Jones DrJones@alum.MIT.edu Date: January 26, 2009 First, congratulations on your excellent survey of Voter experiences in the November 4 election. Would you consider providing some information about voting place lines as a function of voting equipment? Specifically, what fraction of respondents: (1) Reported that they had to wait far too long in line, and also: (2) Voted with hand-marked paper ballots, or voted with touch-screen machines? The hypothesis is that hand-marked paper ballots (for able-bodied voters), often with optical-scan technology, are FAR more resistant to voting place lines, because of the ease with with election officials can expand capacity at modest cost, merely by adding voting stations which cost about $200 each. By contrast, adding a DRE machine costs about $3,000 and has roughly the same throughput capacity. All the best, Tom Jones