2012 Post-Election American Values Survey: Analyzing the Election and Looking ahead to the Budget Showdown

In October, the Public Religion Research Institute, in cooperation with Brookings, released PRRI’s 2012 American Values Survey (AVS). The survey showed that the coalitions making up the two major political parties are composed of distinctive religious subgroups with starkly different views on the economy, social issues, and the role of government. But what values and issues ultimately influenced voters’ choices, and what do these mean for the upcoming debates over budget priorities? Immediately after Americans cast their ballots, the Public Religion Research Institute returned to the field to ask how they felt about the election and what their priorities are for the future.

On November 16, the religion, policy and politics project at Brookings and PRRI will host a forum to release PRRI’s post-election research, including a call-back national post-election survey, a new post-election survey of Ohio voters and focus groups among white working-class voters in Ohio and Hispanic voters in North Carolina. The surveys will be conducted in the days following the election and will cover attitudes toward the candidates, reactions to the results, and the factors that most influenced voters’ choices. The surveys will also look ahead to the upcoming showdown over budget priorities, exploring values and attitudes on promoting economic growth and reducing the deficit. PRRI founder and CEO Robert P. Jones will present the survey results, and Brookings Senior Fellow E.J. Dionne, Jr. will discuss their implications. Melissa Deckman, Washington College, and John Sides, George Washington University, will offer their reactions to the survey and focus group findings as well.

After the program, panelists will take audience questions.