Author Archives: Kelly Patterson

About Kelly Patterson

Kelly Patterson is a professor of political science at Brigham Young University and a senior scholar at the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy.

How did Ben McAdams win?

How did McAdams win?  First, he kept his base and won big among independents. This analysis was performed by Carlos Madrid, a student in the class that organized the Utah Colleges Exit Poll.  The writing is mostly his. Inquiries about … Continue reading

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What is the demographic future of the two-party system in Utah?

This analysis was performed by Matthew Frei, a student research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy (like us on Facebook), in collaboration with CSED faculty. The writing is mostly his. Inquiries about this research should come to Kelly Patterson.  The … Continue reading

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Who Do Mormons Say Represents Their Faith Positively?

When you consider that Mormons overwhelmingly identify as Republicans, it is unsurprising that Mitt Romney is viewed by a large majority of Mormons as positively representing their faith. In a previous post, we reported findings from the June Key Research … Continue reading

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Who thinks Governor Romney’s candidacy is good for the LDS Church?

This analysis was performed by Matthew Frei, a student research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, in collaboration with CSED faculty. The writing is mostly his. Inquiries about this research should come to Kelly Patterson … Continue reading

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Public Opinion on Gay Marriage in Utah

Opposition to gay marriage has dropped to 29%. Meanwhile, 43% of Utah voters support civil unions, and 28% support gay marriage. This analysis was performed by Matthew Frei, a student research fellow at BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections … Continue reading

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What do Mormons think about Governor Romney’s candidacy?

67.5% said they did not trust the media to cover the Church fairly, and after the diatribes of the Lawrence O’Donnells of the world, who can blame them? The 2012 presidential candidacy of Governor Romney has shined a spotlight on … Continue reading

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What are the philosophical differences between the parties?

Differences between the two parties begin with questions about human nature and the good society. Differences between political parties reflect differences in how individuals view the world. These views can be traced back to philosophical questions that have concerned political … Continue reading

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What are the conflicts between representation and redistricting?

Certain segments of Utah’s political class advocate for a rural-urban mix for the new congressional districts. The argument sounds something like the following: “It would be horrible for Utah to not have all Congressional seats invested in both the rural … Continue reading

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How do you interpret public opinion data?

As Adam pointed out in his post earlier, the Deseret News story seems to make a conflict out of two findings that probably do not conflict.  The seemingly different findings can be reconciled when a few basics about the nature … Continue reading

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What do Utahns think about legislators’ privacy?

An overwhelming majority (78%) say that “the public’s right to access” is the most important. Public opinion toward complex issues is difficult to measure, especially as the issues involve a choice between important values. The recent debate over the Utah … Continue reading

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