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We are professors of political science sharing academic research relevant to Utah. Posts are not peer reviewed and may discuss work in progress that is subject to future revision. Learn more. Each post reflects only its author’s views.
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Tag Archives: democracy
Which way did Utah Co and Weber Co swing?
Trump’s 2020 gains are trivial. He continues to fare worse in these areas than any Republican nominee in a generation. The New York Times notes in passing today that two Utah metro areas (Provo-Orem and Ogden-Clearfield) moved toward Trump in … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged counties, democracy, independent, measurement, parties, partisanship, presidential election, utah county, voting, weber county
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Which way did Utah Co and Weber Co swing?
Should we invite them to the party?
Fifty-six percent say that political parties are public institutions and can be regulated by the state, while 44% say that they are private associations and cannot be regulated. The author would like to thank Professors Mike Barber and Chris Karpowitz … Continue reading
“And then depression set in:” Why don’t Utahns turn out to vote?
When we asked respondents to the recent UVP why they believed individuals did not turn out to vote, the overwhelming reason related to one-party dominance. Professors Quin Monson and Michael Barber contributed to this post. In the movie “Stripes,” Bill … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged democracy, polls, turnout, voting
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“And then depression set in:” Why don’t Utahns turn out to vote?
Senator Lee Rebounds
Compared to one year ago, our October 2014 UVP shows a substantial change in voters’ views about the senator. Overall, favorability toward Senator Lee has now nearly returned to its pre-shutdown levels. These are heady days for Senate Republicans. With a wave … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged campaigns, congress, democracy, democrat, gary herbert, jim matheson, mike lee, orrin hatch, utah colleges exit poll, utah voter poll
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Senator Lee Rebounds
Utahns don’t know much about Utah government
Utahns don’t know much about national politics, but they know even less about Utah politics. Although Americans often take pride in living in the world’s oldest democracy, American voters tend to do a very poor job answering basic questions about … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged approval ratings, becky lockhart, congress, democracy, education, federalism, greg bell, ignorance, legislature, lieutenant governor, mormons, utah voter poll, wayne niederhauser
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Utahns don’t know much about Utah government
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
Posted in Everything
Tagged convention, delegates, democracy, ideology, partisanship, psychology, republic, utah voter poll, voting
4 Comments
Do we live in a “compound Constitutional Republic” or something else?
There are no uses of the phrase “compound constitutional republic” in any American English book from 1800 through 2000. Last March, the Utah legislature passed a bill (HB 220) requiring Utah’s public schools to teach that the United States is … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged democracy, direct democracy, james madison, legislature, representation, republic
9 Comments
Do we live in a democracy or a republic?
Maybe it’s not a coincidence that we began referring to ourselves as a “democracy” more frequently at the same time that our country became more (directly) democratic. Do we live in a democracy or a republic? Let’s ask Google. I … Continue reading
Posted in Everything
Tagged democracy, direct democracy, education, ideology, initiative, john adams, recall, referendum, republic, thomas jefferson
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Do we live in a democracy or a republic?