About the Survey

We developed the first iteration of the Attitudes About Leadership in the United States national survey in 2019 in consultation with various experts in the field of leadership studies. The 2019 survey ultimately comprised 30 incisive questions with Likert scale response options, not including demographics, that would remain viable for a longitudinal study to track trends in the public’s attitudes toward leadership within the United States. Revisions were made to the survey each year to enhance clarity, add questions relevant to the current sociopolitical context, and remove questions that were not providing useful data. By 2023 the survey grew to 45 questions with Likert scale response options and 12 demographic questions.

The survey was administered annually from 2019-2023 by Qualtrics via online platform to a nationally representative sample of 1,800-2,050 people at least 18 years of age living in the 50 United States, including the District of Columbia. Response quotas were set on certain demographic dimensions based on current US Census figures so that data could be validly compared across geographic location, sex, ethnicity, age, household income, and political affiliation. Other demographic dimensions collected include education level, employment status, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, and marital status.

The survey was designed to be as apolitical and ideologically unbiased as possible, while the limitation remains that an individual’s mindset while responding to questions cannot be fully controlled. A portion of the survey introduction reads:

Please respond to the questions with the following three things in mind: 1) Leadership can be done by people who have a formal title and by people who do not have a formal title; 2) Leadership happens everywhere, not just in the most obvious places such as government or business; 3) This survey focuses only on leadership within the United States. Consider leadership within the United States broadly as you answer the questions, without focusing on one particular leader, one particular area, or one particular leadership event.

Another sticky issue was whether we should define leadership for respondents, or allow them to define it for themselves. Over the iterations of the survey, we have had much constructive debate with our colleagues on this question. In 2019, the first year of the survey, we decided to explicitly define leadership within the introduction. The relevant text read:

The purpose of this survey is to gather information about the attitudes of people in the United States toward leadership within the United States. For the purposes of this survey, leadership is defined as the process of influencing people toward achieving a common goal, and leaders are defined as people who influence others toward achieving a common goal.

However, starting in 2020 rather than defining leadership we instead asked specific questions about how respondents see leaders. We could then cross-reference their responses with responses to other questions in order to gain more nuanced insights into attitudes about leadership. The relevant questions included:

A leader is someone who:

(1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree)

·   Has a formal title or position of leadership

·   People see as influential even without a formal title or position

·   Has access to power and resources

·   Uses threats or coercion to influence people

·   Serves others

·   Volunteers in the community

·   Works toward their personal interests

·   Prioritizes what is best for the group

I am able to consider myself a leader even if I don’t have a specific title or position of leadership.

·   Agree

·   Disagree

Most of the survey questions have remained unchanged over the years, so if you are looking to compare results on a specific question across different years the association should be clear. However, some questions were slightly revised so you may see different wording or response categories, which should be taken into consideration. Some questions were removed completely and some were added anew, so be sure to look through all the topics if you’re searching for a topic or question that piques your interest.