The American Electorate in the Trump Era

Catalog description

This seminar will introduce students to the methods social scientists use to analyze public opinion, voting and elections, with primary emphasis on the 2016-2020-2024 national elections. Students will utilize major databases such as the American National Elections Studies (ANES) and the General Social Survey (GSS), as well as a large YouGov Panel conducted throughout the 2014 campaign. The object of the seminar is analysis--not ideology, activism or personal catharsis. How did Americans in various demographic categories vote in the Trump elections, and why? What is the relative importance of voter characteristics, policy issues, the records and personal qualities of the candidates, the campaign itself, the performance of the Obama and Biden Administrations, and myriad other factors?