The purpose of our initial study, the Social and Political Attitudes Study (SPAS), was to discover which political issues most divide people, and also to discover how the most divided people see the world.
In our new study, Civil Unrest and Presidential Election Study (CUPES), currently in the data analysis stage, we examine the same topics but in light of the unprecedented level of social and economic unrest of 2020. Specifically, we have added questions about peoples’ political and social attitudes as they relate to the George Floyd protests, the Coronavirus Pandemic, and the presidential election.
Data is being collected in September and October 2020 via Qualtrics Survey Software and Qualtrics’ sample recruitment services. 1500 adults will fill out a 15-minute survey. The study sample is nationally representative, meaning that the proportion of participants will reflect the U.S. adult population in terms of educational attainment, gender, and household income. We also over-sampled ethnic minorities to ensure that their attitudes, experiences, and perceptions can be assessed adequately.
For additional information (e.g., measures used, codebook, participant details) on this study, please feel free to contact the principal investigators: [email protected].
REPORT (CUPES-009)
Has Time Spent with Family and Friends Declined?
Ninth report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
In this report, we investigated the extent to which peoples’ time spent with family and friends changed during a particular period in American history: the leadup to the 2020 Presidential election amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that both the 2020 presidential election and COVID-19 were significant political events embroiled in significant political disagreements, we draw from a sample of adults taken in Fall 2020 to investigate changes in peoples’ interactions with friends and family compared to the prior Fall of 2019.
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-009.
REPORT (CUPES-008)
Why Are People Misinformed About Fatal Police Shootings?
Eighth report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
In our last report (CUPES-007), we found a surprising degree of inaccuracy about race and policing amongst the American public across the political spectrum. In particular, those who reported being politically “liberal” or “very liberal,” appeared to be the most uninformed. This week we report on a follow-up set of analyses on this important issue. What factors might contribute to peoples’ misconceptions about race and police shootings?
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-008.
REPORT (CUPES-007)
How Informed are Americans about Race and Policing?
Seventh report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
In this report, we investigate a complex and defining issue of 2020 (and, no doubt, many years ahead): race and policing. Amidst calls to “defund” and reform police agencies, informed understandings of police-citizen interactions are crucial. So, here we ask the question: across the political spectrum, how knowledgeable are people when it comes to the available data on fatal police shootings of Black Americans?
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-007.
REPORT (CUPES-006)
Outside of Politics, What Else Predicts Attitudes Towards Censorship?
Sixth report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
Two weeks ago, we examined peoples’ support for freedom of speech by voting preferences (CUPES Report #5). Given the recent politicization of this topic associated with social media bans, it is worth considering how other variables might influence peoples’ support for free speech. In this report, we share the strongest correlates of peoples’ support for free speech that we found in the Civil Unrest and Presidential Election Study dataset.
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-006.
REPORT (CUPES-005)
Censorship Attitudes and Voting Preferences
Fifth report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
Here, we examine attitudes about censorship, in particular, peoples’ level of support for freedom of speech and freedom of thought. Due to the politicized nature of this topic — especially in recent months as social media censorship has been debated in the halls of government and academia — we thought it would be relevant to consider how people’s attitudes towards censorship varied with regard to their reported voting preference in the 2020 presidential election. Check out our findings.
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-005.
REPORT (CUPES-004)
Trust in Institutions
Fourth report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
Here, we examine Americans’ level of trust in institutions, as well as how trust levels vary by political party affiliation and gender. We asked the question: “how much do Americans trust news media, political officials, hospitals/doctors, and educational institutions?”
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-004.
REPORT (CUPES-003)
Inequality & the Economy: Pandemic Tradeoffs
Third report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
In this report, we examine how peoples’ attitudes reflect difficult recent tradeoffs associated with racism, the economy, and the COVID-19 pandemic. People are concerned about unemployment, COVID-19, and racism, but how do they weigh each concern relative to one another? For example, the more people go out to protest, the more they may contribute to the spread of COVID-19. Or, the more businesses are closed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the greater the risk of joblessness.
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-003.
REPORT (CUPES-002)
Intolerance Is Lower Than You Might Think
Second report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
Have Americans become more politically intolerant over the last year? If so, is this intolerance directed more toward perceived oppositional political parties or specific political candidates? In this report, we seek answers to these questions.
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-002.
REPORT (CUPES-001)
Did Political Disunity Change in 2020?
First report in the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES)
If nothing else, the year 2020 has focused the national conversation on how politically polarized Americans seem to have become. It would seem that much of this conversation treats polarization as a slow, cumulative, process that eventually causes inevitable conflict. In this report, our first from the Civil Unrest & Presidential Election Study (CUPES), we show evidence of a marked shift in the unity of the Democratic Party and Republican Party between 2019 and 2020.
In this study we examined social and political attitudes in the United States as they relate to the George Floyd protests, the Coronavirus Pandemic, and the presidential election.
Technical and statistical information on this data and analysis is available in the Supplemental Materials for Report CUPES-001.
