CommonWealth Beacon
Research Centers
Big Data for Democracy
Today, at a time when democracy is under threat, Tisch College has articulated a bold vision: to build robust, inclusive democracy for an increasingly multiracial society. Tisch College has one of the biggest research teams devoted to democracy in the U.S. today. We focus on understanding the challenges - and opportunities - of democracy and civic life. We use that scholarship to inform our own programming at Tufts, as well as to drive national conversations about the role of citizens, the health of democratic institutions, voting and elections, and the power of young people.
We pursue this vital scholarship through several research centers.
Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) one of the nation's leading authorities on youth voting, studies the civic education and engagement of young people in the United States - especially disadvantaged youth.
The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE) offers colleges and universities an opportunity to learn their student registration and voting rates and, for interested campuses, a closer examination of their campus climate for political learning and engagement and correlations between specific student learning experiences and voting.
Cooperative Election Study
The Cooperative Election Study is the largest academic survey of the American public and a core resource for academic researchers and the public for understanding public opinion and American elections.
The Tisch College Community Research Center (TCRC) is a champion and resource for civically engaged and community-centered scholarship across all Tufts campuses. With an emphasis on community participatory and action research, TCRC advances equitable and innovative community-university research partnerships through developing resources, networks, visibility, and new opportunities for learning.
The Center for State Policy Analysis (cSPA) provides rigorous, timely, non-partisan research on live policy issues in Massachusetts.
The Generous Listening and Dialogue Initiative (GLADI) was launched in collaboration with the Vuslat Foundation as a research center focused on building a theory-predicated evidence base for generous listening and dialogue as a means to promote character and community development, both on Tufts campuses and in the world.
CivicGreen is a collaborative project among scholars and practitioners to enrich our democratic imagination and to expand our policy options for sustainable, resilient, and just responses to climate crisis in the United States in the coming decades.
The Research Group on Equity in Health, Wealth and Civic Engagement brings together researchers from across Tufts University to discuss and investigate aspects of equity and inequity in the United States and the world.
Research for Democracy News
Bloomberg
How Donald Trump Cut Into Democrats’ Hold on Young Voters
Data from CIRCLE shows that Donald Trump’s support from young men increased to 56% from 41% in 2020.
Good Authority
Democrats bet big on abortion in 2024. Voters had other priorities.
Using data from the Cooperative Election Study, Newhouse Professor of Civic Studies Brian Schaffner and fourth-year A&S student Caroline Soler examine how support for abortion rights in the 2024 election did not translate into a Kamala Harris victory.
CommonWealth Beacon
An uphill climb for rideshare unionization
Evan Horowitz of cSPA discusses why he thinks it’s likely that rideshare companies will challenge driver efforts to unionize in court.
The Hill
Opinion: The gender dimensions of the Gen Z vote: What both parties can learn
This opinion piece cites data from CIRCLE on youth voting in the 2024 presidential election by gender.
WGBH