Research Findings

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Americans who live in states that hold partisan judicial elections are more cynical toward the courts than Americans who live in states that do not hold partisan elections. Partisan judicial elections foster the belief that “judges are just politicians in robes.” Partisan judicial elections also decrease public trust that state courts are

Schools may contribute to reducing adolescent health risks by building “climates of respect,” in which teachers and administrators are responsive to — and value — the feelings and perspectives of students, a new study has concluded. Such climates produce healthier behavior than those that focus exclusively on behavioral control. The results of the study, which

Most Americans know little about the workings of the U.S. Supreme Court, including the fact that Supreme Court rulings are final, according to a national survey conducted for the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center. The findings are being released today in advance of Constitution Day, Monday, September 17. When asked “if a person

Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer features an op-ed in favor of the adoption of Canadian-style cigarette warning labels in the U.S. Such large, graphic warning labels are more effective, argue Professor Paul Slovic of the University of Oregon and APPC scholars Dan Romer and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, authors of the op-ed. The authors cite their research, published earlier this year in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, suggesting that graphic warnings

Thirty-nine states elect their judges in some fashion. What once were “sleepy little affairs,” judicial campaigns have become high-stakes races, drawing in big money and increasingly negative advertising campaigns. In 2006, an estimated $16 million was spent on advertising in supreme court races in 10 states, a record. If predictions hold true, contests in 2008

Nearly two-thirds, 65 percent, of Americans prefer electing their judges rather than having governors nominate them from a list prepared by a nonpartisan committee. Yet when judges run for office they usually have to raise money for their election campaigns. Seven in 10 Americans believe that the necessity to raise campaign funds will affect a

The Annenberg Public Policy Center is making its collected survey data on democratic institutions available to the research community. Any researcher or educator currently working in the field or in association with an accredited research institution may request a copy of the survey data. Any qualified researcher interested in obtaining the full data set for follow-up analysis

U.S.-style labels have little influence on tobacco sales Washington – Large, graphic warning labels on cigarette packages similar to those used in Canada would serve as an important deterrent for new smokers and would encourage current smokers to quit, according to a research study released here today. “There is no more efficient method of reaching

Capturing Campaign Dynamics, 2000 and 2004: The National Annenberg Election Survey, written by Daniel Romer, Kate Kenski, Kenneth Winneg, Christopher Adasiewicz and Kathleen Hall Jamieson, has been published by the University of Pennsylvania Press. The book analyzes the presidential elections of 2000 and 2004, two of the most contested and dramatic in this nation’s history.

Despite no basis in fact, newspapers continue to report on the increased risk of suicide around the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year holidays. An analysis of newspaper reporting over the past seven years released today by the Annenberg Public Policy Center shows that this story represents about half of all holiday-relevant suicide reporting. Stories linking