Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · 6d

Wow the Census's data tables and MDAT tool are both not loading right now because of the shutdown...

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Jul 2

I’ve had many Prolific responses fail the Qualtrics bot/fraud detection scores!

1

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Jun 29

Ok, but this equates turnout with “turning out registered voters” as every data source used except the Pew data only had registered voters. More unregistered nonvoters would have voted Harris than Trump. Source: CES 2024 data.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Jun 26

New data suggests that Donald Trump would have done even better in 2024 with higher voter turnout. Here's what Pew research released Thursday shows. nyti.ms/44xQsDQ

A headline reads: "If Everyone Had Voted, Harris Still Would Have Lost." A photo shows people waiting in line to vote. Photo by Jon Cherry for The New York Times.

2 1

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Demos @demosorg.bsky.social · Jun 25

🧵 New research reveals 1.5 million North Carolinians are missing during election time, in part because NC has become one of the hardest states to vote in.

The solution? Remove the barriers. Empower voters.

Read our new report with @scsjofficial.bsky.social: demos.nyc/nc-missing-v...

Who Are North Carolina's 1.5 Million Missing Voters? | Demos

In this report, Dēmos and Southern Coalition for Social Justice expose a crisis in North Carolina's democracy and its voter rolls, and share commonsense policy solutions to fix it.

demos.nyc

1 6 8

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Melissa Deckman @melissadeckman.bsky.social · Jun 17

My latest piece @prri.org , which helps explain how our politics have become so gendered. open.substack.com/pub/prri/p/o...

Our Increasingly Gendered Politics

Unpacking the political dynamics behind conservatives' commitment to gendered hierarchies

open.substack.com

9 10

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Jun 29

“young voters have not become more likely to identify as conservative…Gen Z might not be the disaster for Democrats that Shor and others are predicting. The 2024 election might have been an anomalous event in which young people’s deep dissatisfaction with the economy…drove them to want change.”

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Jun 28

"The best available evidence suggests that the youth-vote shift in 2024 was more a one-off event than an ideological realignment," Jean M. Twenge writes:

The Myth of the Gen Z Red Wave

The best available evidence suggests that the youth-vote shift in 2024 was more a one-off event than an ideological realignment.

bit.ly

1

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Jun 29

Ok, but this equates turnout with “turning out registered voters” as every data source used except the Pew data only had registered voters. More unregistered nonvoters would have voted Harris than Trump. Source: CES 2024 data.

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Jun 26

New data suggests that Donald Trump would have done even better in 2024 with higher voter turnout. Here's what Pew research released Thursday shows. nyti.ms/44xQsDQ

2 1

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Apr 8

Dig into a brand new study from CIRCLE and Protect Democracy on Gen Z’s views of democracy—both as an ideal and how it is in reality. See what underlies these attitudes so we can understand what it takes to bring all youth into the urgent fight for democracy.

protectdemocracy.org/work/how-doe...

How does Gen Z really feel about democracy? - Protect Democracy

A new survey offers three profiles of how young Americans perceive democracy, engage with civic life, and see their role in shaping the future.

protectdemocracy.org

1 5

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · Mar 30

New Amicus episode: @dahlialithwick.bsky.social‬ talks with @wendyweiser.bsky.social about everything that's wrong with the executive order on voting and elections. Weiser calls it "completely unlawful" and "disastrous." slate.com/podcasts/ami...

Think All This Gets Fixed With The Midterms? Think Again

The midterms will be too late to tackle Trump’s extraordinary attempt at restricting voting.

slate.com

5 64 150

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Mar 28

Fast forward to now, and this research cannot be more urgent and pressing. I hope you can join us at this event to listen to our findings and hear our esteemed panelists discuss the implications for youth civic engagement organizations.

Register here: protdem.org/RegisterVoic...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Voices of the Future: Why Democracy feels broken for young voters—and what to do about it. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about jo...

This event offers a unique opportunity to gain exclusive insights that may challenge assumptions about young voters—how they perceive democracy, where they see it working (or not) in their lives, and ...

protdem.org

2 4 12

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Mar 28

We needed to listen to how different groups of young people understand and are experiencing democracy. We needed to hear their urgent calls for change and action. And, we wanted to uncover the root causes behind a young person losing faith in democracy, or never developing that faith to begin with.

4 4 17

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Mar 28

CIRCLE and our incredible partners at Protect Democracy started this important research about Gen Z's attitudes toward democracy in September 2024.

Already back then, it was clear to us how important it was to dispel myths and generalizations about young people's relationship to democracy.

Protect Democracy @protectdemocracy.org · Mar 28

RSVP Today - Hear from youth civic leaders, researchers, and pro-democracy advocates about new findings into how young Americans see their role in shaping the future plus how to strengthen their participation in our democratic processes. protdem.org/RegisterVoic...

Monday, April 7. 1pm EST
Voices of the future
Why democracy feels broken for young voters—and what to do about it.

1 8 13

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Mar 19

My conclusion from dinner last night with the TBR crew (The Black Response, Cambridge) is that I need to read David Graeber. Which book should I start with?

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Mar 2

Wonderful working with my good friend & colleague Dr. Elena Maker Castro on this piece!

LPTA is hard to do but can uncover diversity in developmental experiences.

The prevalence of stress and anxiety among those who stayed "Liberated Actors" is a very important finding.

doi.org/10.1037/dev0...

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Feb 19

Interactive Black History map blackhistory.kinkofa.com/explore

Explore the Black History Month Map | kinkofa x PamPam

Discover significant Black historical locations and contributions through the interactive Black History Month Map by kinkofa.

blackhistory.kinkofa.com

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Feb 17

"...among the biggest errors many democracies have made...is to view individual dignity primarily through the prism of political freedom without being sufficiently attentive to the indignity of corruption, inequality, and a lack of economic opportunity."

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

How Democracy Can Win

The right way to counter autocracy.

www.foreignaffairs.com

1

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Feb 17

Very insightful article.

Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · Feb 11

“Worn down by harassment and threats, many of Trump’s critics will be tempted to retreat to the sidelines. Such a retreat would be perilous. When fear, exhaustion, or resignation crowds out citizens’ commitment to democracy, emergent authoritarianism begins to take root.”

The Path to American Authoritarianism

What comes after democratic breakdown.

www.foreignaffairs.com

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · Feb 12

“Democracy is not in decline. Rather, it is under attack.” In a 2023 essay, Samantha Power made the case for a new approach to democracy promotion—one that tackles corruption, inequality, and the rise of digital authoritarianism.

How Democracy Can Win

The right way to counter autocracy.

www.foreignaffairs.com

1 12 40

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Feb 17

What lies ahead is not fascist or single-party dictatorship but competitive authoritarianism—a system in which parties compete in elections but the incumbent’s abuse of power tilts the playing field against the opposition. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

The Path to American Authoritarianism

What comes after democratic breakdown.

www.foreignaffairs.com

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Greg Sargent @gregsargent.bsky.social · Feb 14

The small city of Reading in central Pennsylvania is around 70 percent Latino.

In 2024, it shifted toward Trump by a staggering net 16 points.

I spent some time trying to figure out why that happened. The result is this piece. I hope you'll check it out:
newrepublic.com/article/1908...

This Small Rust-Belt City Holds the Secret to Democrats’ Latino Woes

Latino voters shifted dramatically toward Trump in the last election. Reading, Pennsylvania offers a clue to how Democrats can claw them back.

newrepublic.com

180 380 1.3K

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Feb 15

The most common religious hate crimes in the United States are against Jews, followed by hate crimes targeting Muslims. Sikhs also experience more hate crimes than Christians in the U.S., though Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs together make up a much smaller share of the population than Christians.

Melissa Deckman @melissadeckman.bsky.social · Feb 14

Glad to see PRRI's Census of American Religion used in this new CSM piece on which religious groups are actually facing hate crimes in the US.
www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/...

Trump decries ‘anti-Christian bias.’ Which religions are targeted in US?

With President Trump creating a task force to stamp out anti-Christian bias, what does religious discrimination in the United States look like today?

www.csmonitor.com

1

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Melissa Deckman @melissadeckman.bsky.social · Feb 14

Glad to see PRRI's Census of American Religion used in this new CSM piece on which religious groups are actually facing hate crimes in the US.
www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/...

Trump decries ‘anti-Christian bias.’ Which religions are targeted in US?

With President Trump creating a task force to stamp out anti-Christian bias, what does religious discrimination in the United States look like today?

www.csmonitor.com

1 2 4

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Environmental Voter Project @environmentalvoter.bsky.social · Feb 14

Wow. This is such a cool search tool. Well done, @gristnews.bsky.social.

grist.org/accountabili...

Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? Search our map by ZIP code.

From clean energy projects to bridges, this interactive tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.

grist.org

4 8

Sara Suzuki @sara-suzuki.com · Feb 10

If you are a staff member in #HigherEd what resources would be helpful for you in this moment? What do you need?

Reposted by Sara Suzuki

Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · Feb 8

"The best study on the subject in my opinion suggests that in the long term, institutions really can’t save us; that civil society and mass mobilization are a more potent check on a backsliding democracy in the long term..." meditations-in-an-emergency.ghost.io/the-nature-o...

The Nature of Our Power: A Conversation with political scientist Erica Chenoweth
By Rebecca Solnit • 8 Feb 2025
View in browser

"The best study on the subject in my opinion suggests that in the long term, institutions really can’t save us; that civil society and mass mobilization are a more potent check on a backsliding democracy in the long term than relying on institutional checks and balances alone." That's what political scientist Erica Chenoweth told me when I asked them if we could have a conversation (by email, below in full) about the current constitutional crisis/coup attempt and what we can do about it. Chenoweth is a hugely influential scholar of nonviolent social change, best known for their empirical research that not only documents what makes civil resistance work but demonstrates that it works, often extremely effectively. They direct the Nonviolent Action Lab, which studies how people have built movements and developed strategies to resist authoritarianism successfully and documents how nonviolence can be effective. There's no one I wanted to hear from more in this constitutional crisis, and I'm grateful I can share their insights with all of you.

29 330 1K