Ukrainian public opinion on compromise with Russia changing, researcher explains

Two years and seven months into the invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces, the attitudes of the Ukrainian people toward ending the war are reluctantly shifting. Virginia Tech international affairs expert Gerard Toal has researched Ukrainian public opinion for a decade. His most recent findings indicate that more Ukrainians have become open to entering into negotiations with Russia.

Many survey respondents rated seeking out sexually explicit ‘deepfakes’ as more acceptable than creating or sharing them

In a survey of 315 people conducted by researchers at the University of Washington and Georgetown University, respondents largely found creating and sharing sexually explicit “deepfakes” unacceptable. But far fewer respondents strongly opposed seeking out these media. Previous research has shown that other people viewing non-AI image-based abuse harms the victims significantly.

90% of Floridians Believe Climate Change is Happening

FAU’s latest “Florida Climate Resilience Survey” found that 90% of Floridians believe that climate change is happening. Belief in human-caused climate change has surged among Florida Independents while slipping among Republicans. Despite these changes, the survey found enduring support among Floridians for increased government action to address the consequences of a warming planet.

Study Examines U.S. Public Opinion of ‘Would-be’ Mass Shooters

A first-of-its-kind study sheds light on public opinion about would-be mass shooters, particularly regarding their mental health status. Willingness to “see something” and “say something,” especially when loved ones or associates are involved, hinges on whether the informant believes the criminal justice system will handle the situation effectively and fairly.

Climate Change Consensus Endures in Florida

Seven sequenced surveys since October 2019 paint a comprehensive picture of Floridians’ climate resilience attitudes during a period of particularly dynamic political, economic and environmental events. Climate change has emerged as an abiding and cross-cutting issue in Florida.

Politicians in areas with most climate risk tweet about it least

Politicians are more likely to tweet about climate change if they are Democrats, represent wealthier districts and if their constituents are concerned about the climate, according to a new Cornell University study. Meanwhile, communities most at risk from climate change are less likely to see their political leaders tweet about it, the multidisciplinary team of researchers said.

New National Poll: American’s Trust In Leaders and Institutions Declines During COVID-19 Pandemic

Rutgers scholar Katherine Ognyanova is available to comment on the latest Rutgers-Harvard-Northeastern-Northwestern survey data from The COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public’s Policy Preferences Across States. The researchers polled participants on whether they trust certain institution and individuals to do the…

Survey collection reveals over 80 years of public opinion on race

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University has launched “Say Their Names. Hear Their Voices,” a publicly available collection of more than 80 years of public opinion surveys of Black Americans and U.S. attitudes about Black America, presented with context about race in polling over the years

FAU Poll Finds Climate Change Still is Important Topic for Floridians in Era of Coronavirus

The third Florida Climate Resilience Survey by FAU’s Center for Environmental Studies and the Business and Economics Polling Initiative quarterly statewide survey shows that 89 percent of respondents believe climate change is happening, up from 86 percent in January and 88 percent in October 2019.

Simulations Show Extreme Opinions Can Lead to Polarized Groups

In this week’s Chaos, researchers use a theoretical model to examine what effect extreme views have on making the entire system more polarized. The group’s network-based model extends a popular approach for studying opinion dynamics, called the Cobb model, and is based on the hypothesis that those with opinions farther from the middle of a political spectrum are also less influenced by others, a trait known to social scientists as “rigidity of the extreme.”