Some # of people on Medicaid don't know they are on Medicaid (www.pbs.org/newshour/hea...). Whether there is a partisan tilt to that, IDK. But a 2025 survey shows that just 4% of Rs say they are on Medicaid, which is less than Ds and Is. This could also be due to social desirability in polling, etc.

Another year of marriage in the books. And what a year it has been! Looking forward to many more :)

Nothing beats Oregon on a sunny day. (Clementine checking out South Sister on the left; Broken Top on the right.)

The percent of Americans who report they are in "excellent" health has been declining for some time, but has accelerated since 2012. Source: GSS

Conservative are more likely today to perceive medical doctors, and medicine, as filled with liberals. Among conservative respondents, their perception that most people in medicine/med doctors: In 2025: 36% Liberal 45% Mod 19% Conservative In 2019 : 21% Liberal 54% Mod 25% Conservative

Despite trust in personal doctors becoming a partisan issue, experimental evidence suggests that sharing a political background with one's medical provider increases willingness to seek care, finds @obrian.bsky.social & Bradley Kent in @bjpols.bsky.social doi.org/10.1017/S000...

4th most read story in local newspaper is about the cat lounge in town. The fourth estate is healthy!

The #1 read story in Eugene’s newspaper is about a dog who climbed Mt Hood. Local journalism is alive and well!

Want to learn more about how women are, and are not, role models for adolescents in American politics? Our new book, See Jane Run: How Women Politicians Matter for Young People, will be out this Spring. press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

E-pub day is tomorrow (8/27 – hard copy still 9/25)! Roots of Polarization argues that contemporary polarization on “culture war” issues like abortion and gun control in the 1970s-1980s was molded by the racial realignment of the 1960s. #polisky

"Roots of Polarization" has a 9/25 release date! In the mean time, plan on coming to the author-meets-critics panel at APSA (Thurs @ 8am). Really great panel: @cwolbrecht.bsky.social, @chriswarshaw.bsky.social and Vince Hutchings discussing, & chaired by Eric Schickler. #polisky tinyurl.com/ycypu4nm

Interesting free-response comments from American Soldier surveys of Black GIs in WWII (part of @edgitre.bsky.social 's fantastic mass transcription project) about the surveys themselves. Attitudes range from deep distrust to support.

True. But rank-and-file white evangelicals (including in SBC) already conservative on abortion by 1960s. Leadership moved/replaced to represent conservative insurgency. More in forthcoming book "Roots of Polarization": tinyurl.com/45evxyby

Thank you to the Carnegie Corporation for this opportunity to pursue research on the role politics plays in shaping health outcomes in our polarized society. #CarnegieFellows t.co/DJtcc2zyWt

New attention check just dropped (and yikes) www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...

Messages about Trump as a threat to democracy might be relatively less effective in bringing young voters to Biden camp. We primed Dems with messages about J6/democracy and find that young Ds not moved by that message but older Ds are. Article in The Conversation: tinyurl.com/387k7keu polisky

Young people, including young Dems, are relatively less committed to democracy as an institution than older ppl and perhaps see J6 as less of a threat to democracy. Below is q about perception of J6 as a crisis/problem (asked in 2022). Responses are D only. polisky

Colleague Chandler James & I wondered if we gave young Democrats information about Biden (e.g., economy is doing well) whether it would increase support/enthusiasm. It didn't move the needle much. Older Dems, though, became quite a bit more supportive. polisky theconversation.com/young-people...

This is a good article. The one thing I disagree with is that I don't think I've ever seen a player yell at a coach like this, though (and the article suggests it is commonplace), and I watch a fair bit of football. At some point the "he's just a competitor" argument dries out.

Really proud of this collection -- a set of outstanding essays that challenge and expand our understanding of descriptive represention, including a concluding piece by Mansbridge herself. Please read and share! polisky gendersky

Does anyone know of data that estimates presidential vote choice by race at the county level? #polisky polisky

One of my favorite papers really puts this argument (did economics, not race, push the South to the GOP) to rest: www.nber.org/system/files...

In 2011, pollsters asked why Civil War was fought. Republicans and people who favored Trump (Trump was in news bc of birtherism) said States Rights to slavery by ~20pp. Not clear that Haley's comments will cost support among primary voters. (Dems answers not much better.)

"There is great pressure to ease the abortion laws, and it is being said that the Catholic Church prevent its being done... the Catholic Church should reconsider its position.'' --- William F. Buckley, 1966, in National Review. More in forthcoming book: tinyurl.com/445bd4j6

I've gotta feeling ... that Buffalo's going to the Super Bowl!

Office window fell off yesterday. Not to worry, it's been taped back on and I'm ready to get back to work. Political science rain or shine!

Online first: "Competing on competence: the issue profiles of mainstream parties in Western Europe" by Christoffer Green-Pedersen & @henrikseeberg.bsky.social doi.org/10.1080/0140... Polisky

Lot of volatility in young voter vote choice (perhaps esp hard to target likely voters?) ... still think many young voters will vote Biden once campaign heats up. Overheard a student say that "many of her friends didn't know Trump was running for prez in 2024."

Big day in Congress class. Former member of Congress Peter DeFazio (served in OR-4 for 36 years!) spoke to students today. Among other things, we learned that Cong. DeFazio was a founding member of the craft beer caucus. Thank you Congressman!

FWIW, partisan differentials in reported uptake of flu vaccine (on surveys) emerged by the mid/late 2010s. COVID certainly made it worse, but partisan vaccine hesitancy, at least towards the flu, was already there pre-COVID!

Stories like these --- in NC or elsewhere, at the state or local level --- are THE stories about 2024. For long stretches of US history, election administration has been blatantly political ... www.nytimes.com/2023/09/24/u...

By 2016 there is partisan gap in flu vax uptake: Pew May 2016: Which, if any, of the following have you done within the PAST 12 MONTHS? Had a flu shot: Dem = 45% / Rep = 37% Kaiser Oct 2021: Have you received a flu shot for the upcoming (2021) flu season?: Dem = 36% / Rep = 18%

McCarthy needs hard-line members to remain Speaker/have a governing majority. Speaker elected by full chamber, not GOP caucus which is why McCarthy is in a bind (HFC hold balance of power assuming Ds don't defect). McCarthy could not follow this column's advice www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Recent years have seen especially strong party leaders. It's not clear that these rules and procedures are worth keeping for the sake of democracy as this article (and especially headline) suggest. Of course, a House that is nearly inoperable is problematic. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

University of Oregon is hiring in REP this fall. Application here: apsanet.org/CAREERS/eJob.... Happy to answer any questions about the dept or Eugene. Oregon is a *beautiful* place to live!

A potential consequence of this is that Reps are less likely to seek mental healthcare. This shows up in survey data. Reps are nearly 8 pp less likely than Dems to visit a mental health professional after controlling for other factors (including self-reported mental health)

A partial explanation for this trust gap is that people perceive mental health professionals to be predominantly liberal and few perceive them to be conservative. This holds true for both D & R respondents. Graph below shows ideo perceptions of therapists by PID.

Large partisan trust-gap in mental health professionals. Dems about 19 pp more likely to say therapists can be trusted to do what is right almost all/most of the time. PID stronger predictor of trust than demos/insurance status/seeing a therapist/reported levels of happiness.