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2013 American Values Survey: Libertarianism in the 21st Century
10.29.2013

Much talk of late has focused on the rise of libertarians within the Republican Party. As a creed, libertarianism has distinct positions on the role of government, economic issues, social issues, and foreign policy—positions that do not always align with mainstream conservative or Republican opinion. Who are these libertarians, and how do their views compare to the general public, Republicans overall, and key constituencies in the Republican coalition such as political conservatives, Tea Party members, and evangelicals?

On October 29, the religion, policy and politics project at Brookings and the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) will release PRRI’s fourth annual American Values Survey (AVS), a large national, multi-issue survey on religion, values and public policy. This year’s survey takes an in-depth look at libertarians, examining their political and religious profiles and their opinions on a range of economic and social issues. The accompanying research report, authored by PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones, PRRI Research Director Daniel Cox, and PRRI Research Associate Juhem Navarro-Rivera, also examines the tensions between the opinions of rank-and-file libertarians and the libertarian creed propounded by the movement’s intellectual leaders. Brookings Senior Fellow William Galston will comment on the survey findings, along with Karlyn Bowman (AEI), Brink Lindsey (Cato), and Henry Olsen (Ethics & Public Policy Center).

After the program, panelists will take audience questions.

Moderator:
E.J. Dionne, Jr.
Senior Fellow in Governance Studies
The Brookings Institution

Presentation of Survey Results:
Robert P. Jones
CEO
Public Religion Research Institute

Panelists:
Karlyn Bowman
Senior Fellow
American Enterprise Institute

William Galston
Ezra K. Zilkha Chair and Senior Fellow in Governance Studies
The Brookings Institution

Brink Lindsey
Vice President for Research
Cato Institute

Henry Olsen
Senior Fellow
Ethics & Public Policy Center

Location:
The Brookings Institution
Falk Auditorium
1775 Massachusetts Ave, NW,
Washington, DC