Political Knowledge Shapes Attitudes About Presidential Secrecy

This study explores attitudes toward presidential secrecy, revealing they are strongly influenced by partisan context. Before and after the 2016 U.S. election, respondents were asked whether it should be easier or harder for the president to keep documents secret from the public.

📊 Data & Methods:

• Source: 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Survey data
• Design: Panel survey tracking individual changes following the political shift

🔍 Key Findings:

• After Donald Trump's election, Republican support for fewer constraints increased, while Democratic preference for more constraints rose
• This partisan 'flip' effect was most pronounced among individuals with higher political knowledge
• Higher knowledge respondents showed stronger shifts in their preferred procedural constraints post-election

💡 Why It Matters:

The findings demonstrate how the perceived context of who holds power significantly affects public attitudes toward executive constraints. Political knowledge appears to moderate this relationship, suggesting that substantive understanding shapes opinion about presidential powers rather than party identification alone.