In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, roughly two-thirds of Asian Americans voted for Hillary Clinton and 19% voted for Donald Trump. In 2020, support for Trump among Asian Americans increased to 28%, with Filipinos registering the highest amount of support, at 38 percent. Sociologist Sharon M. Quinsaat and political scientist Nico Ravanilla will examine the role of pre-migration political experiences and social relationships in the U.S. in the formation of conservative attitudes and beliefs among Filipino immigrants.
The Black Lives Matter movement is one of the most consequential social movements of our time, mounting the largest mass protest in American history in 2020. Black people were motivated to action despite their alienation, which comprises experiences of anti-Blackness, police violence, and state neglect. We can understand the 2020 uprisings as emerging from years of sustained, on-the-ground organizing and political education across localities. Political scientist Elizabeth Jordie Davies will investigate how Black Americans’ alienation from the state informs Bla
Political scientists have long documented trends in public opinion, but our understanding of how and why public opinion changes on issues is limited. Political scientist and social policy scholar Erica Czaja will examine the role of empathy during the COVID-19 crisis and the social protests of 2020 in shifting Americans’ understandings of systemic racism. She will conduct an original survey experiment and will analyze survey data from the KFF/The Undefeated Survey on Race and Health and the Axios/Ipsos Hard Truth Civil Rights & Social Justice poll for her project.
One possible explanation for the reason why lawmakers do not prioritize pro-immigration reform when most people support it is because pro-immigration voters do not care much about immigration, whereas anti-immigration voters view it as their most important issue. Political scientist Alexander Kustov will examine the perceived importance of immigration issues among pro- and anti-immigration voters. He will conduct a survey with 2,700 participants for his study.
Individuals who are not attached to Democratic or Republican political ideology may identify as moderates or hold “cross-pressured” attachments – holding positions on issues that go against those typically held by their preferred partisan group. These individuals may therefore opt out of consuming political media or participating in online political spaces. Political scientist Katherine McCabe will examine the extent to which exposure to online political spaces increases the political engagement of politically moderate Reddit users.
In response to threats of violence and violent attacks against elected officials, some may limit their contact with constituents, change the issues they prioritize, or retire from public service. Political scientist Alexandra Filindra will investigate the prevalence of political threats/violence against elected officials and the personal and professional effects that direct and indirect (i.e., through the experiences of colleagues and members of professional networks) exposure may have on elected officials’ behavior.
By 2050, Whites are expected to become a minority in the United States and racial minorities are expected to become the majority. Political scientist Andrew Thompson will examine how this coming demographic shift impacts how Americans of color and White Americans think about racial identity and democracy. He will conduct a survey for his study.