Matthew Hall
Political Science
David A. Potenziani Memorial Professor of Constitutional Studies; Director, Rooney Democracy Institute
- Politics in the workplace: how political interactions and values influence organizational behavior; how workplace experiences influence political attitudes and behavior
- Supreme Court: nominations, deliberations, processes, Big Five personality traits of Justices, interactions between Justices, efficacy and implementation of rulings
- Democracy: the Constitution, democratic culture, anti-democratic attitudes, and threats to American democracy
- American politics: polarization, political persuasion, and political personality
Hall’s Latest News
Hall in the News
The Conversation
Why ‘democratic neutrality’ is an overlooked threat to American democracy
July 28, 2026
By Matthew Hall, Professor of Constitutional Studies, Political Science and Law, University of Notre Dame; Brittany Solomon, Assistant Professor of Administrative Leadership Management and Organization, University of Notre Dame; and Tyler Leigh, Research Fellow, Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, University of Notre Dame.
Chicago Tribune
OPINION | Professors: The overlooked threat of democratic neutrality in America
June 08, 2026
By Matthew E.K. Hall, professor of constitutional studies and the director of the Rooney Democracy Institute at the University of Notre Dame; B. Tyler Leigh, a research fellow at the Rooney Democracy Institute; and Brittany C. Solomon, associate professor of Management & Organization at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business.
NJToday.news
Roughly half of Americans hold a ‘neutral’ stance toward democracy
May 19, 2026
The study, led by Matthew E. K. Hall alongside B. Tyler Leigh and Brittany C. Solomon, analyzed responses from more than 45,000 voting-age Americans. Its conclusion lands with a force that is easy to underestimate: democratic neutrality is not harmless indecision. It is a condition that behaves, in elections, much like outright support for undemocratic conduct.
South Bend Tribune
Notre Dame researches American democracy and the threat of neutrality
May 12, 2026
Roughly half of the United States' population expresses neutrality toward one or more undemocratic practices, a trend that researchers at the University of Notre Dame argue in a new study is an overlooked threat to American democracy. The 2026 study, titled “The overlooked threat of democratic neutrality in the USA,” by Matthew E. K. Hall, B. Tyler Leigh and Brittany C. Solomon explores democratic neutrality as prevalent and distinct from opposition to undemocratic practices, reflective of meaningful attitudes, correlated with theoretically related constructs and as "consequential as outright support for undemocratic practices in shaping preferences for anti-democratic candidates.”
Fairfield Sun Times
Anne Millbrooke: We must take a stand, because neutrality helps the oppressor
May 04, 2026
Matthew E.K. Hall, B. Tyler Leigh, and Brittany C. Solomon published their research under the title “The Overlooked Threat of Democratic Neutrality in the USA” in the prestigious journal Nature Human Behaviour. The problem, as they defined it, is half of us don’t support or oppose undemocratic measures. Half are neutral. By being neutral, a person can become complicit in undemocratic practices such as censoring media outlets, denying election results, and jailing people without due process of the law set by democratic process.
Futurity
‘Neutral’ voters could be dangerous for democracy
April 27, 2026
Using three surveys of more than 45,000 voting-age Americans, the researchers found that about half of the US population expresses an attitude of democratic neutrality—or an “unwillingness to support or oppose policies or practices that undermine democracy,” explains Matthew E.K. Hall, lead author of the study recently published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
phys.org
Half of America sits in democratic limbo—and that silent middle may decide what breaks next
April 23, 2026
Using three surveys of more than 45,000 voting-age Americans, the researchers found that about half of the U.S. population expresses an attitude of democratic neutrality—or an "unwillingness to support or oppose policies or practices that undermine democracy," explained Matthew E.K. Hall, lead author of the study recently published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
Science Magazine
The Hidden Danger of Democratic Neutrality in America
April 01, 2026
A groundbreaking study, soon to be published in Nature Human Behaviour, authored by Matthew Hall, B. Tyler Leigh, and Brittany Solomon, sheds light on this overlooked but critical aspect of American democracy. Their research argues that democratic neutrality—often perceived as impartiality or disengagement from political partisanship—poses a formidable threat to the functioning and health of democracy in the United States.
Newsweek
Democratic Lawmaker Issues 'Knife Fight' Warning Ahead of JD Vance Visit
August 07, 2025
Matthew Hall, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, told Newsweek that state legislatures have "almost unfettered power to engage in openly partisan gerrymandering," and that Indiana Republicans may be able to produce a strong result for themselves if they choose to redraw.
The Conversation
Loss of Supreme Court legitimacy can lead to political violence
July 01, 2024
By Matthew Hall, Professor of Constitutional Studies, Political Science and Law, University of Notre Dame.
phys.org
Political rhetoric changes views on democratic principles, study finds
October 26, 2023
The study, "Norm-violating rhetoric undermines support for participatory inclusiveness and political equality among Trump supporters," was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by Matthew E.K. Hall, the David A. Potenziani Memorial College Professor of Constitutional Studies, professor of political science and director of Notre Dame's Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, along with his co-author James N. Druckman of Northwestern University.
WSBT TV
What does Kevin McCarthy being 'ousted' mean for the future?
Audio
October 03, 2023
Jeff Harden, American Political Science Professor at Notre Dame, says this momentous decision was not simply red versus blue. Matthew Hall, American Politics Professor at Notre Dame, said his jaw dropped watching this go down.
Newsweek
Joe Biden's Approval Rating Among Independents Is Alarming for Democrats
April 29, 2023
Independents were also crucial in deciding the outcome of the 2022 midterm elections, according to the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame. Matthew Hall, director of the Rooney Center, pointed to partisan loyalty in a statement about independents' role in the midterms, saying: "In today's highly polarized environment, voters are very loyal to their preferred political party. As a result, elections are almost entirely determined by voter turnout and independent voters."
Newsweek
Marjorie Taylor Greene's 'Divorce' From Reality | Opinion
February 23, 2023
Matthew Hall is the director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy and the David A. Potenziani Memorial College Professor of Constitutional Studies at the University of Notre Dame.
South Bend Tribune
Colwell: Given hellish political climate, does democracy stand a snowball's chance?
February 03, 2023
Professor Matthew Hall, Rooney Center director, warned of dangers to democracy when the Notre Dame survey results were released in November.
U.S. News & World Report
Midterm Madness Makes for a Dramatic '22 Election
November 04, 2022
"In a typical midterm election, the question is who will control Congress for the next two years," with voters commonly slapping down the party in power and forcing a party realignment in the legislative branch, says Matthew Hall, director of Notre Dame's Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy.
The Conversation
When the Supreme Court loses Americans’ loyalty, chaos – even violence – can follow
October 31, 2022
Matthew Hall, University of Notre Dame.
USA Today
Fact check: Mike Pence did not have the power to overturn 2020 election results, keep Trump in office
February 01, 2022
"Any claim that the vice president can unilaterally overturn the results of a presidential election is patently absurd,” Matthew Hall, a professor of constitutional studies and political science at the University of Notre Dame said via email.
The Hill
Jan 6, 2025: The day democracy dies?
January 07, 2022
Matthew E. K. Hall is the David A. Potenziani Memorial College Professor of Constitutional Studies, Professor of Political Science, Concurrent Professor of Law, and Director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame.