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In the wake of a once-in-a-generation pandemic that has required sustained national intervention and leadership, Americans may be coming around to the benefits of big government.

In the wake of the Capitol uprising, we have been forced to reckon with the uncomfortable truth that political violence is no longer a theoretical concern.

After the 2020 presidential election, a new survey finds acute partisan disagreement over whether President Biden was legitimately elected and whether political violence can ever be justified. Although most Americans believe the 2020 election was a fair contest, most Republicans disagree and express concerns about voter fraud. Republicans are more likely to embrace political conspiracies, including the existence of a “Deep State” working to thwart Donald Trump’s presidency and the Q-Anon conspiracy that Trump is fighting a cabal of sex traffickers.

The January 2021 American Perspectives Survey looks at post-election sentiments, beliefs in conspiracies, attitudes toward political violence, political segregation, and general feelings toward the United States.

Our survey showed that when our social circles include a more diverse mix of political beliefs, we are more open to argument and less ideologically extreme. And, arguably, the best way to get to this point is to discuss — and disagree about — politics more.

The American Social Network Survey uses a unique design to measure the race, educational background, politics, and religion of our social contacts. The results reveal that personal behavior and beliefs are socially constructed—what we know is influenced by who we know. Americans who have more politically diverse social networks express greater openness to compromise and are less bound to their own beliefs. Racial and ethnic diversity in Americans’ social networks makes one more sensitive to race issues.

The November 2020 APS explores how Americans are grappling with COVID-19 amid soaring numbers of infections. Though large partisan divisions persist, more Americans say they would get a free, FDA-approved vaccine. It also challenges the “shy Trump voter” hypothesis and explores possible explanations for Trump’s increased support among non-white voters.

There was a large swing to Trump among white voters who had low levels of social trust — a group that researchers have found is also less likely to participate in telephone surveys.

For those of us interested in understanding the world, polling offers an incredibly useful and cost-effective tool. It’s critical that we get it right.

The coronavirus outbreak created tensions between urban Americans hit hard by the virus and small towns and rural communities. Despite these disparities, surveys find that, before COVID-19, Americans expressed many of the same ideas and priorities regarding their communities, revealing we may not be as divided as one might think.