PRRI

@robertpjones.bsky.social speaks with @contrariannews.org about Americans' views on empathy. Jones also writes about the attack on empathy in his new book, "Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation After the Christian Turn Against Democracy."

The 2026 PRRI AVS finds that three-quarters of Hispanic Catholics (76%) and half of white Catholics (50%) disapprove of Trump’s overall job performance ahead of the midterms. Notably, 61% of white Catholics say their opinion of Trump has mostly changed for the worse over the last two years.

@robertpjones.bsky.social explains that many evangelicals have overlooked Trump’s personal conduct in exchange for his commitment to advance a conservative Christian vision of American life, saying, “That has proven to be more powerful for this group than what they're having to pay at the gas pump.”

Did you catch @melissadeckman.bsky.social talking about the 2026 PRRI American Values Survey on CSPAN yesterday? We cover this and more in today’s Morning Buzz newsletter: prri.substack.com/p/americans-...

"PRRI’s survey underscores just how radical the MAGA outlook is." More from Jennifer Rubin at The Contrarian: open.substack.com/pub/contrari...

I had a great conversation with John McArdle @cspanjohn.bsky.social at C-Span this morning discussing @prri.org 's new American Values Survey.

"As Christian nationalist leaders attack the sentiment of empathy, a disturbing 'empathy gap' has opened, separating Republicans and white evangelicals from most other Americans," says @robertpjones.bsky.social, examining new AVS findings. Read more:

Interesting bit from the survey: "Two-thirds of Americans (68%) say empathy is a foundational moral value that helps build a healthy society . . . White evangelical Protestants are the only religious group in which a majority does not agree (42%)." prri.org/research/dar...

You can view the panel discussion over new findings from the @prri.org American Values Survey and its implications for the midterms by registering here and watching online. Or attending in DC if you're around. www.brookings.edu/events/new-s...

Tomorrow at 10 AM ET! Join us online or in person for a conversation with experts discussing the new 2026 PRRI American Values Survey and what the data reveal about American politics ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Register now: www.brookings.edu/events/new-s...

“When we are talking about the American Dream, what we see is that concerns about democratic rights and freedoms matter,” says Diana Orcés, Ph.D., PRRI Director of Research. Listen to the full conversation:

@robertpjones.bsky.social says that white mainline Protestant voters are more of a warning sign for Republicans than white evangelicals: “If I were a Republican strategist looking at the map, I would be worried about the other white Christians… they are not as tethered to the president.” Read more:

61% of Americans say the death penalty should be legal in all or in most cases; Republicans (79%) are notably more likely than independents (62%) and Democrats (50%) to say the death penalty should be legal.

Women are less likely than men to say that the American Dream still holds true today (43% vs. 53%). For @19thnews.org, Chabeli Carrazana writes that many young women feel politicians’ messaging on affordability fails to address their anxiety about their financial futures. Read more:

@robertpjones.bsky.social is on @wunc.org discussing his new book, Backslide: Reclaiming a Faith and a Nation after the Christian Turn Against Democracy. Listen to the full conversation:

Join PRRI and @brookings.edu in person or online later this month for the release of the 17th annual American Values Survey! Happening Tuesday, October 20 at 10:00 AM Eastern. Learn more and register: www.brookings.edu/events/new-s...

“The finding that Gen Z men were more likely to say the government should subsidize childcare when one parent stays at home is notable and perhaps speaks to the growing distance we see between Gen Z men and women with respect to parenthood,” explains @melissadeckman.bsky.social. Read more:

"@robertpjones.bsky.social tells @theguardian.com that demographic changes, support for Christian nationalism, and Trump's language about racial purity all informed his decision to start 'Backslide' by looking at the rise of the Nazi Party." More in today's Morning Buzz ⬇️

“Despite the alarming trajectory detailed in Backslide, Jones resists total pessimism.” New interview with PRRI President and Founder @robertpjones.bsky.social from @theguardian.com: www.theguardian.com/books/2026/o...

A large majority of Americans (71%) agree that transgender people deserve the same rights and protections as other Americans. The Department of Education has rescinded the Title IX protections against sex-based discrimination for students based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

A majority of Americans (55%) agree that “the Supreme Court has been too willing to let President Trump expand his power,” compared with 41% of those who disagree. The Supreme Court has allowed states to verify the eligibility of voters with the Department of Homeland Security program:

A new op-ed by @melissadeckman.bsky.social and @ruthbraunstein.bsky.social examines conservatism in Utah, finding that the state has a slightly higher proportion of people who resist Christian nationalism (68%) than the country as a whole (64%), the only red state with that distinction. Read more:

New from @melissadeckman.bsky.social and @ruthbraunstein.bsky.social at @newsweek.com "A potential electoral backlash to Trump’s appeals to Christian nationalism may also be spurred by the rising prominence of progressive religious voices on the campaign trail." www.newsweek.com/resistance-t...

Tomorrow at 11:00 AM ET on Substack Live, join @ruthbraunstein.bsky.social and @melissadeckman.bsky.social to discuss a new survey report examining the religious, political, and demographic makeup of Americans who resist Christian nationalist ideology. Tune in: open.substack.com/live-stream/...

“This has been very quickly transposed from an economic or political issue to a moral issue,” @robertpjones.bsky.social explains. The issue of AI has united denominations and faith traditions that often disagree in political debates. Read more:

Most Americans (73%) agree that mandatory vaccines for children should be legal in all or most cases; only one in four disagree (24%). HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave the keynote address at an anti-vaccine conference, telling attendees that they had a friend in Trump’s White House.

"Hispanic Americans – Republican, Democrat, and independent – are experiencing a growing sense of isolation, feeling less safe, less welcome, and more like strangers in their own country," explains PRRI Director of Research Diana Orcès. Read Orcès' full comments in @theconversation.com:

@prri.org 's Diana Orcés examines why Hispanic Americans of all parties are losing faith in the American Dream in this must-read op-ed:"Declining faith goes beyond partisanship and reflects a more fundamental question about this group’s sense of belonging." theconversation.com/why-hispanic...

@robertpjones.bsky.social explains that as VP JD Vance begins positioning himself for a potential 2028 presidential run, his appeal to Christian values is underpinned by demographic factors that show self-identified Republicans to be “more than two-thirds white and Christian.” Read more:

Among Trump voters, nearly two in ten (19%) now hold unfavorable views of him, compared to just 10% at the beginning of his second term in 2025. Learn more in a new analysis: