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How important is it for you to live in a country that is governed democratically?  On this scale where 1 means it is “not at all important” and 10 means “absolutely important,” what position would you choose?
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale as previously, how would you rate the political system of [QID300-ChoiceGroup-SelectedChoices]? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - [QID300-ChoiceGroup-SelectedChoices] today
Now we'd like to ask you a question about democracy in your state. In which state is the academic institution where you work located? This information will not be used to identify you.
In previous questions about the political system of the United States, using a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, you gave the following ratings: -United States in 2015: [QID465-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. -United States today: [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1].  Please briefly explain why you chose these ratings.
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 1800
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 1850
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 1900
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 1950
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 1975
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 1985
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 1995
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 2005
Now using the same 0 to 100 scale, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States over time? You rated the political system of the United States today as [QID221-ChoiceNumericEntryValue-1]. - United States in 2015
On a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 is least democratic and 100 is most democratic, how would you rate the political system of the United States as of today? - United States today
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government statistics and data are produced by experts who are not influenced by political considerations.
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Law enforcement investigations of public officials or their associates are free from political influence or interference
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government protects individuals’ right to engage in peaceful protest
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Citizens have access to information about candidates that is relevant to how they would govern
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Elected officials seek compromise with political opponents
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Even when there are disagreements about ideology or policy, political leaders generally share a common understanding of relevant facts
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - The geographic boundaries of electoral districts do not systematically advantage any particular political party
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Citizens can make their opinions heard in open debate about policies that are under consideration
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Public policy is not determined by large campaign contributions
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Information about the sources of campaign funding is available to the public
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Voter participation in elections is generally high
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - The elected branches respect judicial independence
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - The judiciary is able to effectively limit executive power
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - The legislature is able to effectively limit executive power
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Executive authority cannot be expanded beyond constitutional limits
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Elections are conducted, ballots counted, and winners determined without pervasive fraud or manipulation
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - All votes have equal impact on election outcomes
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - All adult citizens have equal opportunity to vote
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Parties and candidates are not barred due to their political beliefs and ideologies
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Elections are free from foreign influence
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Political competition occurs without criticism of opponents’ loyalty or patriotism
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government protects individuals’ right to engage in unpopular speech or expression
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government effectively prevents private actors from engaging in politically-motivated violence or intimidation
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government does not interfere with journalists or news organizations
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - All adult citizens enjoy the same legal and political rights
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government agencies are not used to monitor, attack, or punish political opponents
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government officials do not use public office for private gain
How well do the following statements describe the United States as of today? - Government officials are legally sanctioned for misconduct
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order Government statistics and data are produced by experts who are not influenced by political considerations.
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Law enforcement investigations of public officials or their associates are free from political influence or interference<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Government protects individuals’ right to engage in peaceful protest<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Citizens have access to information about candidates that is relevant to how they would govern<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Elected officials seek compromise with political opponents<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Even when there are disagreements about ideology or policy, political leaders generally share a common understanding of relevant facts<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>The geographic boundaries of electoral districts do not systematically advantage any particular political party<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Citizens can make their opinions heard in open debate about policies that are under consideration<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Public policy is not determined by large campaign contributions<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Information about the sources of campaign funding is available to the public<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Voter participation in elections is generally high<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>The elected branches respect judicial independence<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>The judiciary is able to effectively limit executive power<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>The legislature is able to effectively limit executive power<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Executive authority cannot be expanded beyond constitutional limits<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Elections are conducted, ballots counted, and winners determined without pervasive fraud or manipulation<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>All votes have equal impact on election outcomes<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>All adult citizens have equal opportunity to vote<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Parties and candidates are not barred due to their political beliefs and ideologies<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Elections are free from foreign influence<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Political competition occurs without criticism of opponents’ loyalty or patriotism<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Government protects individuals’ right to engage in unpopular speech or expression<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Government effectively prevents private actors from engaging in politically-motivated violence or intimidation<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Government does not interfere with journalists or news organizations<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>All adult citizens enjoy the same legal and political rights<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Government agencies are not used to monitor, attack, or punish political opponents<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Government officials do not use public office for private gain<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Display Order <br>Government officials are legally sanctioned for misconduct<br><br>
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government statistics and data are produced by experts who are not influenced by political considerations.
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Law enforcement investigations of public officials or their associates are free from political influence or interference
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government protects individuals’ right to engage in peaceful protest
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Citizens have access to information about candidates that is relevant to how they would govern
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Elected officials seek compromise with political opponents
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Even when there are disagreements about ideology or policy, political leaders generally share a common understanding of relevant facts
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - The geographic boundaries of electoral districts do not systematically advantage any particular political party
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Citizens can make their opinions heard in open debate about policies that are under consideration
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Public policy is not determined by large campaign contributions
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Information about the sources of campaign funding is available to the public
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Voter participation in elections is generally high
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - The elected branches respect judicial independence
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - The judiciary is able to effectively limit executive power
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - The legislature is able to effectively limit executive power
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Executive authority cannot be expanded beyond constitutional limits
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Elections are conducted, ballots counted, and winners determined without pervasive fraud or manipulation
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - All votes have equal impact on election outcomes
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - All adult citizens have equal opportunity to vote
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Parties and candidates are not barred due to their political beliefs and ideologies
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Elections are free from foreign influence
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Political competition occurs without criticism of opponents’ loyalty or patriotism
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government protects individuals’ right to engage in unpopular speech or expression
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government effectively prevents private actors from engaging in politically-motivated violence or intimidation
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government does not interfere with journalists or news organizations
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - All adult citizens enjoy the same legal and political rights
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government agencies are not used to monitor, attack, or punish political opponents
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government officials do not use public office for private gain
How important are these characteristics for democratic government? - Government officials are legally sanctioned for misconduct
Thank you for participating in the Bright Line Watch survey of political scientists. The purpose of this survey is to measure expert opinions about the state of American democracy. Your responses will be anonymous. Your participation in this study is voluntary, and you are free to skip any questions or withdraw from the study at any time. No information that identiﬁes you will be collected or retained by the researchers, and all of the information we collect will be stored securely. However, any online interaction carries some risk of being accessed. Please contact the Social & Behavioral Sciences IRB at the University of Chicago with any questions or concerns (by phone at 773-834-7835 or by email at sbs-irb@uchicago.edu). If you have any questions or comments about this survey, or if you would like to be removed from the mailing list for future surveys, please email survey@brightlinewatch.org.