Democracy Fund Voter Study Group to Release Full Longitudinal Dataset of 8,000 2016 Voters

Business Wire

Insights on the evolving views of American Voters will be highlighted at the 113^th Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Select members of the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group (Voter Study Group), a research collaboration comprised of nearly two dozen analysts and scholars from across the political spectrum, will present key findings from their research at the 2017 American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting in San Francisco. In advance of the event, the group is releasing their full 2016 Views of the Electorate Research Survey (VOTER Survey) dataset with the hope that the academic and research communities will further reveal new insights about Americans’ beliefs and concerns.

A session at the APSA meeting, called “Bipartisan Project for Informed Politics Panel Survey on the 2016 Election,” will feature three participants in the Voter Study Group. The panel discussion will take place on Saturday, September 2 from 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. PST at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square, in room Franciscan B. Presenters will include:

Henry Olsen, Ethics and Public Policy Center; Project Director for the Voter Study Group
John M. Sides, The George Washington University; Washington Post Monkey Cage; Research Director for the Voter Study Group
Taeku Lee, Asian American Decisions; University of California, Berkeley; Participant in the Voter Study Group

As uniquely longitudinal research, the VOTER Survey dataset allows for a deep exploration into the issues and values that motivated supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The panel will dissect the impact of voters’ attitudes about race, religion, and American identity, their views on the state of the economy, and what the internal debates happening within each political party could mean for the future of U.S. politics.

The Voter Study Group is making the 2016 VOTER Survey dataset public and encouraging it to be used with citation. The full dataset, as well as a guide to using the data, can be found at https://www.voterstudygroup.org/reports/2016-elections/data. The 2016 VOTER Survey consists of responses from 8,000 individuals interviewed in December 2016, all of whom had participated in earlier surveys in mid-2016, 2012 and 2011. The participants were polled on a variety of topics including:

Feelings toward Trump, Clinton, and other political leaders
Role and size of government
Healthcare
Taxes
Climate change
Perspectives on various ethnic, social, and political groups
Patriotism, nationalism, and the nature of American identity
Immigration
State of our political and economic system
Gender roles
LGBTQ rights
Trade

In early September, the Voter Study Group will begin to release new findings from a second VOTER Survey conducted in July 2017. The new survey continues to track key trends in the political landscape, including support for President Trump and his agenda. To sign up for email updates, visit www.voterstudygroup.org.

About the Democracy Fund Voter Study Group

The Democracy Fund Voter Study Group is a research collaboration of nearly two dozen analysts and scholars from across the political spectrum examining and delivering insights on the evolving views of American voters. Our research and analysis is designed to help policy makers and thought leaders listen more closely, and respond more powerfully, to the views of American voters. For more information, please visit www.voterstudygroup.org.

VOTER Survey Methodology Summary

In partnership with the survey firm YouGov, the VOTER Survey interviewed 8,000 Americans in December 2016 who had been previously interviewed both in 2011-2012 and in July 2016. A complete survey methodology is available online.

About the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC)

Founded in 1976 by Dr. Ernest W. Lefever, the Ethics and Public Policy Center is Washington, D.C.’s premier institute dedicated to applying the Judeo-Christian moral tradition to critical issues of public policy. From the Cold War to the war on terrorism, from disputes over the role of religion in public life to battles over the nature of the family, EPPC and its scholars have consistently sought to defend and promote our nation’s founding principles—respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, individual freedom and responsibility, justice, the rule of law, and limited government.

About the Democracy Fund

The Democracy Fund is a bipartisan foundation established by eBay founder and philanthropist Pierre Omidyar to help ensure that our political system can withstand new challenges and deliver on its promise to the American people. Since 2011, Democracy Fund has invested more than $60 million in support of modern elections, effective governance, and a vibrant public square.