Josh Clinton

More than 3,200 alumni came together on Vanderbilt’s campus from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10 for Reunion and Homecoming. The weekend schedule featured more than 85 events designed to deepen connections among alumni, provide insights on current issues and celebrate the milestone class years ending in 4 and 9.   Read More

With 1,100 enrolled students, the number speaks for itself—PSCI 1150: U.S. Elections is a hot commodity on campus. The elective course offered every four years by the College of Arts and Science is a highly anticipated deep dive into how elections work in the U.S., blending a robust  understanding of history with extensive research from political science. Read More

The semiannual, statewide Vanderbilt Poll showed in its most recent survey that slightly more than half of the state’s voters support a woman’s right to an abortion, that there is significant bipartisan support of IVF procedures as well as modest gun control legislation, and that views about many state and national issues differ significantly by gender.  Read More

Josh Clinton, who holds the Abby and Jon Winkelried Chair and serves as professor of political science and co-director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, has been named a 2024 Andrew Carnegie Foundation Fellow. He joins 27 other scholars nationwide being recognized for their research into the polarization of society and the fortification of our democracy. Read More

According to the 2024 Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville, a majority (53 percent) of Nashvillians believe the city is on the right track, which represents a nine-point increase from last year. It is the first time in four years the measure has increased. Read More

If the 2024 presidential election were held today, a felony conviction would cost former President Trump some votes, but not enough to make Tennessee a close contest in the 2024 presidential race. This shift could, however, cost Trump key battleground states, according to the latest statewide Vanderbilt Poll, released today. Read More

In its latest semiannual statewide survey, the Vanderbilt Poll measured significant bipartisan support for various gun regulations, basic protections for abortion access as well as health care access for the LGBTQ community. The survey was conducted April 19–23 among 1,003 registered Tennessee voters. Read More

For the second year running, the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville shows more than half of respondents believe the city is on the wrong track. This trend is amplified by a plurality of respondents indicating the growth of the city is making their quality of life worse, rather than better or having no effect. Read More

Tennessee Republicans favor Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over former President Donald Trump to be the party’s presidential nominee in 2024 by double digits, according to the latest statewide Vanderbilt Poll, which also found shifting public attitudes around access to abortion. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a live event to shed light on the mechanics and nuance of network election calls. “The Media’s Role on Election Night” will be on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in Langford Auditorium and examine how these calls are made and how this unofficial system grew into the role it plays today.    Read More

In a sign that malaise over rising inflation and stressors related to pandemic recovery could be influencing Tennesseans’ attitudes toward elected leaders, support for President Joe Biden and Gov. Bill Lee has dropped among registered voters, according to the most recent statewide Vanderbilt Poll. Read More

For the first time since the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville was established in 2015, more than half of respondents say they believe the city is headed in the wrong direction. Davidson County voters are concerned about affordable housing and crime, but give positive marks to Mayor John Cooper and other local leaders. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host “Democratic Erosion and How to Prevent It,” an online panel discussion, April 28 at noon. Vanderbilt political scientist Josh Clinton and professor Susan Stokes of the University of Chicago will explore the tactics and conditions to which democracies are most vulnerable during a conversation moderated by Noam Lupu, political scientist and associate director of the Vanderbilt Latin American Public Opinion Project. Read More

Support for Gov. Bill Lee is down among Tennessee voters, fueled in part by his controversial stances on vaccine and mask requirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest statewide Vanderbilt Poll. Read More

Public opinion polls ahead of the 2020 election were the most inaccurate in a generation, according to Josh Clinton, Abby and Jon Winkelried Chair and professor of political science, who recently served as chair of a special task force convened by the American Association for Public Opinion Research specifically to evaluate polling. Read More

Divisive party politics continue to dominate attitudes among Tennessee residents on key social issues, including the state’s response to COVID-19, willingness to get vaccinated and questions about whether the 2020 presidential election was “stolen,” according to the latest Vanderbilt University poll. Read More

Davidson County voters have slightly less confidence in their elected officials and core institutions compared to last year; however, a majority of Nashville residents still think the city is “generally headed in the right direction,” according to the latest Vanderbilt Poll-Nashville. Read More

How do television networks predict election outcomes? The virtual event “A Peek Inside the NBC Decision Desk: Election 2020” scheduled for Friday, April 16, at 2 p.m. CT will provide an overview. Read More

Vanderbilt political scientist Joshua Clinton led a team of researchers to analyze data from more than 1 million U.S. adults, determining that partisanship is more closely related to social mobility—defined here as social contact and travel within and among communities—during the COVID-19 pandemic than the incidence of COVID-19 cases or deaths in the community. Read More

The deep partisan divide in Tennessee has never been more apparent than on the questions of whether citizens will get the COVID-19 vaccine and curb holiday travel at the height of the global pandemic, according to the latest Vanderbilt Poll-Tennessee. The poll also found a deep chasm between registered voters on the legitimacy of the results of the presidential election. Read More