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Southern blacks more supportive of American political system

Source: JournalistsResource.org

Pundits often assume a minority group has a homogeneous opinion, that members of a particular race will share political values and vote the same way.

The reality, of course, is far more nuanced. New research charts the way values vary between African-American communities in regions of the United States with different histories of racism and discrimination.

Seven big questions about the 2012 presidential election: Research roundup

Source: JournalistsResource.org

With the final stretch of the 2012 presidential election now here, some central research-oriented questions that are traditionally asked about campaigns are coming to the fore. These areas include: the state of the economy and its effects on electoral outcomes; the role of money and the power of ads; the impact of the candidate debates; the effectiveness of the campaigns’ “ground games”;  and the potential for “coattail” effects down the ballot.

The Supreme Court, public opinion and decision-making: Research roundup

Source: JournalistsResource.org

The decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court are seldom without controversy, and American history has seen fierce public debate over the Court’s proper role in the democracy. With lifetime tenure, justices are in principle immune from the vagaries of public opinion. But new issues inevitably come to the Court because of emerging trends in society, and evolving norms and values have always been part of these cases.