Faculty in the College of Arts & Sciences pursue collaborative research agendas linked to political communication. They focus undergraduate students’ attention on the symbiosis between politics and communication, with special emphasis on digital technology’s growing role in campaigns and public policy debates. Faculty affiliated with the Center for Political Communication regularly conduct cutting-edge research through national and statewide public opinion polls. Studies sponsored by the CPC have received coverage in a wide range of news outlets, including the Atlantic, the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, US News & World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Slate, and Wired.
National survey shows divided, increasingly polarized public opinion on transgender rights
The issue of transgender rights has risen on the political agenda in 2016, in the wake of a controversial North Carolina law on public restrooms and new federal rules protecting transgender students. A new study from the University of Delawares Center for Political Communication shows that public opinion about transgender rights is sharply, and in some cases increasingly, divided along party lines, just as the two political parties gear up for their national nominating conventions.
Researcher(s):
Brewer, Dr. Paul R.
National survey on rights and protections for transgender people
The CPC’s November 2015 national survey, conducted by CPC Director Paul Brewer, examined public support for transgender rights and protections. Despite age, gender, and political divisions, most people surveyed favored protection from discrimination for transgender individuals both in schools and in workplaces. A large majority also supported allowing transgender people to serve openly in the U.S. military. University of Delaware’s Communications and Public Affairs reported the study’s results in a November 2015 article, “Transgender Rights, Protections.”
Researcher(s):
Brewer, Dr. Paul R.
March for Science participants seek evidence-based policies and public support
Encouraging science-based policies and defending science from political attacks are strong motivators for March for Science participants, according to a new University of Delaware Center for Political Communication survey. The study, conducted from March 31 to April 18, surveyed 1,040 members of March for Science Facebook groups or pages about their reasons for marching in April 22 events across the United States and around the globe.
Researcher(s):
Brewer, Dr. Paul R.