Institutions of Democracy

A woman may not have as tough a time getting elected president as some traditional polling suggests because many people who would prefer not to vote for a woman would actually do so rather than for a candidate of the other party, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey suggests. Polling of 3,572 adults

Potential swing voters in swing states – the real target of the presidential campaign these days – are more critical of the economy and the situation in Iraq and less impressed with either George W. Bush or John Kerry than the electorate generally, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. These persuadable voters

Since John Kerry began showing positive biographical television ads about himself in early May, he appears to have reversed a slide in public impressions of him in the battleground states, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. In the 20 states which both presidential campaigns consider tight enough to warrant spending on television

Political scientists generally reject the idea that discrete events like tactical campaign strategies or widely-covered media events exert any meaningful influence upon mass public opinion. In teasing out the forces that affect presidential approval, social scientists have traditionally looked to factors like demographic characteristics and economic indicators for explanations of change. Communication scholars, on the

The Internet has become an established tool for campaign learning and information. In the 2004 presidential campaign, each candidate has employed his/her own Web Site and most had accompanying Weblogs to compete with other online and off-line sources of campaign information. Using data from the 2004 National Annenberg Election Survey (NAES04), this research seeks to

The American public’s opinion about prisoner abuse in Iraq has shifted dramatically away from the idea that the guards were acting on their own at the Abu Ghraib prison to the belief that they followed orders, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. In polling from last Monday through Sunday night, 48 percent

As same-sex marriage begins today in Massachusetts, Americans remain opposed to the concept but still dubious about prohibiting it by a constitutional amendment, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Interviewing of 3,775 adults from May 3 through 16 showed that 61 percent of the public said they opposed a law that would

Americans may say they don’t trust television commercials, but the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows that again this year, a great many people absorb and believe what they see, no matter how dubious its relation to the truth.

The American public does not believe the soldiers who mistreated Iraqi prisoners were following orders, but a narrow majority thinks the Pentagon tried to cover up the abuse, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Polling of 1,030 adults from Thursday through Sunday also showed that a large majority of the public does

Several weeks of general election intensity campaigning have clearly dimmed Senator John F. Kerry’s image with the American people and among potential voters in battleground states, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Polling of 2,759 adults from April 15 through May 2 showed that 38 percent had a favorable opinion of Kerry