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The poll also found that six in 10 respondents support setting an upper age limit for presidents, and were asked their views on proposed state and federal laws related to issues including gun control, abortion, campaign finance, education and gender identity. (WCVB [Boston], 1/17/23; News Office release)

While majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents all express outrage that racism exists, a new national poll finds that Republicans are more likely than others to view racial problems as rare or isolated situations. The UMass Amherst poll is based on responses from 1,000 people who were surveyed between Jan. 5 and Jan. 9. Pollsters report the margin of error is 3.55%. (WCVB, 01/13/23 - Poll toplines, Poll crosstabs)

 

A new UMass Amherst poll finds Americans’ views softening on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and a growing belief that the nation should “move on” from the attack on our democracy. “In the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, many in the mainstream media and prominent elected officials described the event as an ‘insurrection’ and those responsible for the violence that day as ‘insurrectionists,’ embracing a term used to describe an organized and violent uprising against one’s own government,” says Tatishe Nteta, Provost Professor of Political Science and Director of the UMass Poll. “However, the majority of Americans when reflecting on Jan. 6 have viewed the event as a ‘riot’ and the participants as ‘rioters.’” (WCVB [redistributed by WISN12 Milwaukee, KOAT Albuquerque, KOCO Oklahoma City, WLWT5 Cincinnati, MyNBC5 Burlington, Vt., among others] 1/11/23; News Office release)

Writing in response to a published opinion column, Peter d’Errico, Professor of legal studies Emeritus, says the legal concept of tribal sovereignty addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1823 is “a denial of the free existence of Indigenous nations.” (Inforum, 11/29/22)

A 2019 article in The Atlantic co-written by Professor of Political Science Ray La Raja is cited in a Globe opinion piece calling for a greater role by political party leaders in selecting candidates who run for election. La Raja suggested that candidates be required to obtain petition signatures from elected members of their party, just as they must obtain signatures from voters, before appearing on the ballot. (The Boston GlobeThe Hill, 1/10/23)

Reparations for Black Americans will cost up to $14 trillion and ‘could finally lead to closure,’ economist Sandy Darity says. The economist cited a nationwide 2021 UMass Amherst/WCVB poll in which nearly 30% of white Americans endorsed monetary payments as reparations for Black Americans. (A 2021 Pew Research Center survey found a lower share of white Americans, 18%, supported some form of reparations for descendants of enslaved people.) That’s up from 4% in 2000, Darity says, referencing a separate survey conducted by University of Chicago researchers. “The big issue is whether or not that trajectory can be sustained,” Darity said. (MarketWatch [shared by MSN, Morningstar.com, Newsexplorer.net, Publicnewstime.com, Newsakmi.com, 1/12/23; News Office release)

 

The UMass poll finds Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has gained ground on former president Trump in the race for the 2024 Republican nomination. “DeSantis appears to be the choice among the more establishment-oriented Republicans,” says Raymond La Raja, Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the UMass Poll. “In a head-to-head matchup between DeSantis and Trump among Republican voters, the outcome is basically even. However, older people, the more educated and the wealthy prefer DeSantis by solid margins.” (MassLive, 1/12/23; The Hill, 1/18/23, News Office release)

Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science Paul Collins is quoted in a story reporting that the legal battle over President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel student loan debt could be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Collins says there are “signals that the court understands the time sensitive nature of what's going on and if they're going to say that ‘we're going to move this case forward,’ they'll probably do so fairly quickly.” ( Channel 12 News [N.C.] and other local Sinclair news stations, 11/21/22) 

At #6 is a January story by Political Science Ph.D. student Lane Cuthbert and Associate Professor Alexander Theodoridis reporting UMass Poll findings about Republicans’ belief that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election. At #8 is a March article co-authored by Elizabeth Sharrow, Professor of History and Public Policy, about states that are denying medical care to trans youth. (The Washington Post, 12/31/22)

Professor of Political Science Ray La Raja is quoted in a story about post-midterm election analysis by Republicans and voting trends among young people. “There are a lot of unaffiliated people that may behave like partisans, but they just don't like either party that much, even if they tend to vote with them. That suggests that there's a group, including young people, that are up for grabs over the next decade or so.” (The National Desk, 12/13/22)

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