Institutions of Democracy

Men are more likely than women to know the issue positions of the presidential candidates, from their stands on taxes and assault weapons to Medicare, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Polling conducted between September 3 and 12 among 1,845 adults showed that on an eight-item political knowledge test, men averaged 4.2

George W. Bush made slight gains from the Republican National Convention on two important comparisons with John Kerry among the general public. But his standing among persuadable voters may be worse now than it was in August, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Polling conducted from Friday, September 3, the night after

For several months, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey has been asking respondents their view of George W. Bush’s Air National Guard Service. In polling conducted before CBS’ 60 Minutes reported this week that his commanding officer had written memos saying Bush sought avoid National Guard sessions and his commanding officer and had

Sixty-eight percent of the American public wants Congress to extend the ten-year old ban on assault weapons, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey has found. Congress comes back into session Tuesday with only six days remaining before the ban expires on September 13 and with no plans to consider an extension. Both supporters

George W. Bush has erased the modest gains John Kerry made on him after the Democratic National Convention on such traits as optimism, inspiration and sharing Americans’ values, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. But as the Republican National Convention prepares to nominate Bush tonight for a second term, a wide variety

Despite minimal network television coverage, the Democratic National Convention increased the public’s knowledge of the positions John Kerry and George W. Bush hold on a range of issues and left 69 percent of the public convinced they knew enough about Kerry to decide how to vote, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows.

A plurality of Americans believe the Bush campaign is behind the television ads run by critics of John Kerry over his service in Vietnam and his antiwar statements after he returned to the United States, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. In polling from Monday through Thursday, 46 percent said they believed

America’s military veterans, a distinctly Republican chunk of the electorate, think much more highly of George W. Bush than of John Kerry. But the Democratic convention improved veterans’ overall impression of Kerry, and about as many now view him favorably as think of him unfavorably, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Fifty-nine

Backed by a small time buy in a few states, a TV advertisement sponsored by a 527 called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth began airing on August 5, 2004. The ad claimed that John Kerry lied to obtain his Viet Nam War medals. A news account in The New York Times indicated that the group

The public strongly favors federal funding of stem-cell research, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey finds. From July 30 through August 5, 1,345 adults were asked “Do you favor or oppose Federal funding of research on diseases like Alzheimers using stem cells taken from human embryos?” Sixty-four percent said they favored such funding,