Events

Events Main > Event Detail

Public Confidence in the State of the Nation: Past, Present, and Future

Date: June 17, 2009

Time: 12:00 PM

220 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor
New York NY 10001

With President Obama now well past his first 100 days in office, the public's opinion of our government and political atmosphere is an important indicator of the success and progress of American democracy. A new report published by the Future of American Democracy Foundation, the latest in a series entitled "Public Confidence in the State of the Nation," highlights great gains in public confidence in correlation to the new presidential administration.

Join us for a Demos Forum with Norton Garfinkle, Chairman of the Future of American Democracy Foundation, to discuss the implications of this annual report compared to the previous one, which showed that public confidence in the state of the nation at the end of the Bush Administration was at a low point in every important dimension, including confidence in the American economy, in America’s position in the world, and in the overall direction of the country. Garfinkle, along with respondent Ruth Wooden of Public Agenda, will draw upon these reports to paint a picture of public perceptions and confidence in the future of our country, and to highlight the strengths and potential weaknesses of President Obama’s administration going forward.

About the Speaker:

Norton Garfinkle is Chairman of the Future of American Democracy Foundation, Senior Editor of the Yale University Press series on the Future of American Democracy, and Senior Editor of the Foundation’s annual report on "Public Confidence in the State of the Nation." He is the author of The American Dream vs. the Gospel of Wealth: The Fight for a Productive Middle-Class Economy, and the editor with Daniel Yankelovich of Uniting America: Restoring the Vital Center to American Democracy. Garfinkle is also a former Chairman of the George Washington University Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies,  the National Hospice Foundation, the Lamaze Institute for Family Education, and the New York Landmarks Conservancy.

 

About the Respondent:

Ruth Wooden is the President of Public Agenda and Member of the Board of Directors at Demos. Previously, she was the Executive Vice President of the international public relations firm Porter Novelli. Wooden has also served as President of the National Parenting Association, President of The Advertising Council, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at N.W. Ayer Advertising, Director of CARE, and Director of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation. She is currently Chair of the Board of Civic Ventures, and also serves on numerous other boards and advisory committees, including those of Research!America, Teachers Count, and Independent Sector. Wooden is the recipient of United Jewish Appeal’s Maxwell Dane Humanitarian Award, Advertising Woman of the Year, the Prudential Prize in Non-Profit Leadership, and the Matrix Award from New York Women in Communication.

To RSVP for this event, please contact Jinny Khanduja at jkhanduja@demos.org or 212.389.1399, or click here.

 

With: Miles Rapoport

Tags: Role of Government and the Public Sector | Expanding Civic Engagement | Values & Politics | Framing & Public Opinion