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 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

For years political consultants have argued that late-night comedy shows play a central role in defining presidents and presidential candidates for the American public, but the biggest audience for those programs comes from those least likely to vote – Americans 18 to 29, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Interviews with 26,491

Nine percent of Americans think they paid less in federal taxes this month because of President Bush’s tax cuts. But only a handful of them, one percent of the public, is a persuadable voter who is not yet firmly committed to either Bush or Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts in the presidential election, the

Most Americans, including those who have guns in their homes, want to see the ten-year-old ban on assault weapons extended. And even though the National Rifle Association’s leadership is intensely opposed to renewal, about half of those with an NRA member in their household support continuing the ban, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election

The public agrees with President Bush that American troops should be kept in Iraq until a stable government is established, but does not think he has a clear plan for achieving success there, the University of Pennsylvania’s National Annenberg Election Survey shows. Moreover, majorities now think the situation in Iraq was not worth going to