Archive for the ‘Government’ Category


Republican or Democrat, whether or not you social distance likely has more to do with whether you feel the U.S. is under threat from others not like you.
[Read Full Column...]

A new study finds that individuals who are open to new ideas and recognize both the strengths of others and their own limitations, have not succumbed to political apathy or indifference. The study also suggests these intellectually humble individuals are better able to seek accurate information rather than reflexively defend their own beliefs, and to pursue discussions on critical issues with an attitude of mutual respect.
[Read Full Column...]

No political party should take the “nones” for granted, new research suggests. “Nones now have the potential to rival evangelical Protestants as a politically relevant constituency,” a sociologist stated.
[Read Full Column...]

Clergy with a mix of members with “red” and “blue” political views in the pews tend to tread lightly when it comes to preaching on controversial topics in sermons. Abortion, fossil fuels, a critique of capitalism, and LGBTQ issues were more often avoided in the pulpit, a new study found.
[Read Full Column...]

The debate about whether the world is entering a more secular age and whether the growth of religiously non-affiliated people is hastening such secularization in part revolves around questions of timing. In other words, when did these trends start and what led to them?
[Read Full Column...]

People who are active members of religious groups are more likely to participate in protests, a new global study finds. And the likelihood of public protest by religious individuals is strongest in those countries that are the least democratic,
[Read Full Column...]

There are few people better able to offer perspective on the polarized state of the nation today than Michael Emerson. In an interview, Emerson, one of the foremost sociologists on race, religion and civility in the United States, offers incisive observations on how we got to where we are today, and what we can do to promote a more intellectually humble, respectful national dialogue.
[Read Full Column...]