The Gallup Podcast

Americans’ views on climate change are highly polarized, raising the issue of how leaders should address the divisive topic. In this episode, Alice C. Hill, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and former special assistant to President Barack Obama, shares her perspective on how government efforts to build resilience to catastrophic events can navigate a path forward in the context of divided public opinion. Later, find out the percentage of Americans who believe the federal government should intervene to limit compensation received by senior executives of U.S. companies. Has this figure changed over time?

One of the starkest displays of political polarization in the U.S. is on the subject of climate change. But it wasn’t always this way. Gallup’s tracking on the issue reveals periods in the 1990s when Democrats’ and Republicans’ views on the topic were not so different. So, how did the polarization come about? Dr. Riley Dunlap, Regents Professor of sociology and Dresser Professor Emeritus at Oklahoma State University, breaks down the political trend on climate change and discusses the reasons behind it. Later in this episode, learn what percentage of Americans now say young people will have a better life than their parents.

As elected officials work to address school shootings in the U.S. after the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, some proposals to solve the problem are more popular than others. Which tactics receive nearly unanimous support from Americans and which show divisions along party lines? Later, find out what percentage of Americans say this past winter was warmer than in previous years.

As heated debates over free speech and diversity dominate headlines and roil campuses across the country, many are left wondering how college students view the First Amendment. Sam Gill of the Knight Foundation returns to discuss new findings from a study on students’ views of free speech on campus and online. Later, find out if Americans now view President Donald Trump’s tax law more favorably.

Americans have high opinions of certain countries whose citizens, in turn, have low approval of U.S. leadership. These lopsided sentiments have become more pronounced amid major declines in approval of U.S. leadership in 2017. In what countries is the discrepancy greatest? Later, find out Americans’ true feelings on trade -- is it more an opportunity for U.S. exports or a threat because of imports?

A Northeastern University and Gallup study finds that the majority of Americans say they are unlikely to use and would not feel comfortable in a self-driving car. In this episode, we talk with Americans from across the country, who express both optimism and reservations about the new technology. What would they like leaders to consider as they create regulations for it? Later, New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul describes her experience riding in an autonomous vehicle in Manhattan and elsewhere, and what she sees for the future of American transportation.

Find out where Americans stand on the major issues of the day. Are Americans satisfied with the direction of the U.S.? Do they favor stricter gun laws? Do they want a bigger military budget? Who do they side with on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Who do Americans think did the best job as president? Tune in to learn the answers to these questions and more.

Americans’ well-being took a big hit nationally in 2017, according to the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, which recorded declines in 21 states. Why did well-being drop, and where were the declines most pronounced? Later, find out what percentage of Americans say that the person occupying the presidency affects their personal happiness.

Developments in artificial intelligence will continue to disrupt our work and lives. How can higher education prepare Americans for the coming threat of AI taking their jobs? Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun joins us to discuss a new report on AI’s effects and higher education’s response. Later, we reveal the percentage of Americans who rate the FBI’s performance positively.