Institutions of Democracy

With a few notable exceptions, the endorsement of presidential primary candidates by notable groups and individuals carries little weight with the public, according to data released today by the National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES).   In the survey, we asked people if they knew who certain people and organizations had endorsed for either the Republican

Two-thirds of adults in the U.S. heard or read about the New York Times February 21 story alluding to a potentially inappropriate relationship between Republican presidential hopeful Senator John McCain and a female lobbyist during his presidential bid in 2000, according to recent data collected by the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey. Of

Public knowledge of the issues in the 2008 presidential election is increasing as the campaign proceeds, according to data released today by the National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES).   Although more than half of the American public still cannot answer basic questions about the presidential candidates’ records and their stands on issues, knowledge levels have

After Rush Limbaugh began strongly attacking Arizona Sen. John McCain’s conservative credentials, people who listened to the talk show host were more likely than the non-listening population — including those who describe themselves as conservatives — to believe that Sen. McCain was a moderate.   The findings, released today, are based on an across-time analysis

Kathryn Kolbert, who joined the Annenberg Public Policy Center in 1999 and launched NPR’s Justice Talking radio program the following year, is leaving to become president of People For the American Way, a national advocacy organization dedicated to preserving constitutional liberties and promoting American values. Kolbert will assume her new duties in Washington, D.C., March

FactCheck.org, the Annenberg Public Policy Center’s popular and oft-quoted political truth squad, launched a new video report today, hosted by FactCheck reporter Emi Kolawole.  New reports will be posted each Friday morning. In addition to being available on FactCheck’s home page and to FactCheck’s 66,000 email subscribers, the report, known as “Just the Facts,” will

Many U.S. youth ages 14 to 22 expect to die before age 30, according to a new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.  About one out of 15 young people (6.7 percent) expressed such “unrealistic fatalism,” the study concludes. “I am surprised that one in 15 young Americans report they will die so

Kathleen Hall Jamieson and fellow researchers accomplished what the field of 2008 presidential contenders can only dream of: They got inside voters’ brains. The results of their study were published as an op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to observe the brains of 20 swing voters, the researchers measured responses to

Political Mendacity and the Rise of Media Fact-Checkers More newspapers and television stations are fact-checking the claims of politicians, and the public seems to love it, according to factchecking practitioners and two new studies released today at a conference sponsored by FactCheck.org and the Annenberg Public Policy Center. “You get 100 e-mails saying thank-you for