Newsroom

What’s causing the dysfunction of our nation’s institutions?

Americans are very anxious about the state of the nation and gloomy about prospects for the future. What is the cause of this dark public mood?

The public yearns be more actively engaged in shaping the policies that affect them. Doing so effectively means transforming the public mood from mistrust to trust—and this could take a lot of time. Dan Yankelovich describes how a two-prong effort can accelerate progress.

The American public voice is remarkably responsive to being invited to engage. Unfortunately, a large part of the public’s mistrust and apparent polarization seems an artifact of being uninvited to citizenship.

Social immobility is a complex political problem. To solve it, the public must get directly and fully engaged. But with the public so divided, is this possible?

Wicked problems have complex solutions. The most wicked problem facing our country right now? Social immobility, says Dan Yankelovich.

The American public is not well prepared to complete its main task as citizens: to form thoughtful judgments on the nation’s important issues.

In order for our democracy to function at its best, political leaders and elites must take these steps to engage the public.

A successful democracy gives citizens a say in the decisions that affect their lives. Our democracy is currently failing on that count.