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RESEARCH REPORTS

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Research Report

Polarization in America: Survey of Local Government

May 20, 2025
This survey is the second in a three-part series commissioned by the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York to assess political polarization as experienced by local government officials; find solutions that reduce division; and share these findings to help strengthen communities.
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Research Report

Web Accessibility in Local Government: Priorities, Progress, and Barriers

March 17, 2025
This report explores web accessibility in local governments across the United States, benchmarking current practices and challenges as officials navigate the shift toward online services.
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Academic Papers

Local US officials’ views on the impacts and governance of AI: Evidence from 2022 and 2023 survey waves

January 16, 2025
This paper presents a survey of local US policymakers’ views on the future impact and regulation of AI.
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Research Report

Polarization in America: Survey of Local Government

October 23, 2024
This survey is the first of a three-part series commissioned by the philanthropic foundation Carnegie Corporation of New York to assess political polarization as experienced by local government officials; find solutions that reduce division; and share these findings to help strengthen communities.
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Research Report

Achieving Community Alignment in California Local Government

August 28, 2024
This report compares policy priorities and communication approaches of California's local elected officials and their residents.
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Research Report

The Worsening Urban-Rural Divide: The Role of Local Government in EV Charging Infrastructure

July 30, 2024
CivicPulse's research on the role of local government in deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure nationwide shows persistent urban-rural and liberal-conservative divides in access to EV chargers.
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Academic Papers

What Makes a Community Age Friendly? Policymakers Emphasize Physical Over Social Factors

May 6, 2024
By Jacqueline Chattopadhyay. Published in State and Local Government Review.
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Academic Papers

Effectively communicating with local policymakers: a randomized trial of policy brief dissemination to address obesity

March 7, 2024
By Elizabeth A. Dodson, Renee G. Parks, Rebekah R. Jacob, Ruopeng An, Amy A. Eyler, Nathan Lee, Alexandra B. Morshed, Mary C. Politi, Rachel G. Tabak, Yan Yan, and Ross C. Brownson. Published in Frontiers In Public Health.
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Partner Report

Intimidation of State and Local Officeholders: The Threat to Democracy

January 25, 2024
This detailed report from the Brennan Center for Justice dives deep into the issue of threats and harassment against local and state government officials using data from our recurring surveys on the topic.
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Academic Papers

Threats as Political Communication

December 1, 2023
By Nathan P Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason. Published in Political Communication.
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Research Report

Local Government Threats and Harassment Benchmarking Report

November 30, 2023
In the last three months, the rate of harassment of local officials has measurably increased. Incidence of insults, threats, and attacks have remained high.
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Academic Papers

Discounting constituent attitudes: motivated reasoning, ambiguity, and policymaker perceptions of constituent characteristics

November 1, 2023
By Daniel E Bergan, Hillary C Shulman, and Dustin Carnahan. Published in Human Communication Research.
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