This study examines perceptions of U.S. democracy's importance and performance during the first year-and-a-half of Donald Trump's presidency using original survey data from political experts and the public.
🔍 Data & Methods
Drawing upon a theory regarding democratic constraints, this research surveys expert opinions alongside public views on specific dimensions of democratic erosion.
💡 Key Findings
While significant disagreement exists between experts and supporters/traditional opponents over what constitutes democratic erosion, both groups largely agree that checks and balances have eroded during the Trump presidency. However, polarization intensifies these divisions.
💭 Why It Matters:
The findings offer a nuanced perspective on how American democracy is perceived as evolving under contemporary leadership—revealing areas where broad agreement on democratic principles persists even amidst intense political disagreement.
| Searching for Bright Lines in the Trump Presidency was authored by John Carey, Gretchen Helmke, Brendan Nyhan, Mitchell Sanders and Susan Stokes. It was published by Cambridge in POP in 2019. |
