COLLEGE STUDENTS AND THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: A SURVEY STUDY CONCERNING KNOWLEDGE AND SUPPORT
Date
2024-05
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
In recent times, the Supreme Court of the United States has experienced a
historical surge in saliency in addition to an equally historical decline in public
support. Accordingly, concern has grown over what this negative trend might mean
for the institution’s legitimacy. Given that it relies on others to carry out its decisions,
one may imagine that the Court would become rather obsolete if it lost its legitimacy.
Indeed, essential to its functioning is that even its most unpopular rulings are followed.
In attempting to understand this formative period in the Court’s history, my research
utilizes survey data which was conducted with a convenience sample of college
students. Using this data, various hypothesis are tested with logit models and a
number of conclusions are draw. Contrary to other research in the literature, my
results suggest that specific support greatly affects diffuse support and increased
knowledge of the Court contributes to a reduction in such support, rather than an
increase. This study also addresses assumptions of public ignorance by examining
data on knowledge of the Supreme Court, offering insights into the relationship
between awareness and support for its decisions.