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A decade-long longitudinal survey shows that the Supreme Court is now much more conservative than the public.

Authors :
Jessee, Stephen
Malhotra, Neil
Sen, Maya
Source :
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; 6/14/2022, Vol. 119 Issue 24, p1-7, 26p
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

Has the US Supreme Court become more conservative than the public? We introduce results of three surveys conducted over the course of a decade that ask respondents about their opinions on the policy issues before the court. Using these data, we show that the gap between the court and the public has grown since 2020, with the court moving from being quite close to the average American to a position that is more conservative than the majority of Americans. Second, in contrast to findings showing consistency in the public's approval of or deference to the court, we find that the public's expectations of the court vary significantly over time and in tandem with changes in the court's composition and recent rulings. Even so, many members of the public currently underestimate the court's conservative leaning. Third, we find that respondents' perceptions of the court's ideology relative to their own are associated with support for institutional changes but with important differences between Democrats and Republicans. The fact that so many people currently underestimate how conservative the court is implies that support for proposed changes to the court may be weaker than it would be if people knew with greater accuracy the court's conservative nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
00278424
Volume :
119
Issue :
24
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
157335434
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2120284119