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J. Baxter Oliphant

Senior Researcher

Expertise:U.S. Politics and Policy

Baxter Oliphant is a senior researcher at Pew Research Center, where he focuses on U.S. politics and policy research including partisan polarization, trust in government, gun policy and U.S. foreign policy. He received doctoral and master’s degrees in politics from Princeton University and holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. His dissertation explored the impact of moral judgments on U.S. presidential elections. Before graduate school, he worked in political polling for campaigns and industry groups. Oliphant is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research and the American Political Science Association.

Publications

reportMay 20, 2025

How Much Discrimination Do Americans Say Groups Face in the U.S.?

Republicans are less likely than in 2024 to say there is discrimination against Black, Hispanic, Asian and White people.
short readsFeb 21, 2025

Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship draws more disapproval than approval

Overall, 56% of U.S. adults disapprove of Trump’s executive order on birthright citizenship, while 43% approve.
short readsFeb 7, 2025

What Americans think about Trump’s immigration actions early in his second term

Nearly six-in-ten Americans (59%) say they approve of Trump increasing efforts to deport people who are living in the U.S. illegally.
short readsAug 9, 2024

Americans’ views of offensive speech aren’t necessarily clear-cut

About six-in-ten U.S. adults (62%) say that “people being too easily offended by things others say” is a major problem in the country today.
short readsJul 12, 2024

10 facts about Republicans in the U.S.

About eight-in-ten Republican voters (79%) are non-Hispanic White, down from 93% nearly two decades ago.
reportJun 28, 2023

Gun Violence Widely Viewed as a Major – and Growing – National Problem

Growing shares of Americans view both gun violence and violent crime as very big national problems. 49% of U.S. adults say gun ownership increases safety by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves; an identical share says it reduces safety by giving too many people access to firearms and increasing misuse.
reportJun 21, 2023

Inflation, Health Costs, Partisan Cooperation Among the Nation’s Top Problems

Democrats hold the edge on many issues, but more Americans agree with Republicans on the economy, crime and immigration. Inflation remains the top concern for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with 77% saying it is a very big problem. For Democrats and Democratic leaners, gun violence is the top concern, with about 81% saying it is a very big problem.
reportJun 8, 2023

More Americans Disapprove Than Approve of Colleges Considering Race, Ethnicity in Admissions Decisions

Half of U.S. adults say they disapprove of selective colleges and universities taking prospective students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds into account when making admissions decisions. 33% approve of colleges considering race and ethnicity to increase diversity at the schools, while 16% are not sure.
reportApr 26, 2023

Nearly a Year After Roe’s Demise, Americans’ Views of Abortion Access Increasingly Vary by Where They Live

In states where abortion is prohibited, the share of people who say access to abortion should be easier has increased since August 2019. A majority of residents in those states say it would be difficult to get an abortion in the area where they live today, up 21 points from four years ago.
reportApr 7, 2023

In Divided Washington, Americans Have Highly Negative Views of Both Parties’ Leaders

Americans express highly negative views of President Joe Biden, congressional leadership in both parties and Congress more broadly. Views of the economy remain overwhelmingly negative, and there has been a sharp rise in the share who say the country cannot solve many of its important problems.