© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

What factors shape the way we think about politics?

Connecticut residents who were interviewed on July 12, 2024 for 'The Wheelhouse' about the current state of politics.
Dave Wurtzel
/
Connecticut Public
Connecticut residents who were interviewed on July 12, 2024 for 'The Wheelhouse' about the current state of politics.

According to Pew Research Center, our “trust in government” has eroded over the last sixty years.

While there have been “modest” gains in support, factors like age, race, employment status, educational experience, and more impact how we view our federal institutions.

Today on the Wheelhouse, we journey through age groups, consider experiences, and offer a bit of a U.S. history lesson to shed some light on how Americans have formed their views about the government from the late 1950s to the present.

Plus, how can Gen Alpha engage with politics? How can adults help with kids’ civic development?

GUESTS:

  • Mercy Quaye, Founder and President at The Narrative Project; Columnist for CT Mirror and Editor of CT Mirror's Community Editorial Board
  • Jonathan Wharton, Associate professor of political science and urban affairs, Southern Connecticut State University
  • J. Baxter Oliphant, Senior researcher, Pew Research Center
  • Sally Friedman, Associate professor of political science, University at Albany
  • Jean Twenge, Professor of psychology, San Diego State University
  • Elena Moore, Reporter, Washington desk, NPR
  • Deborah Rivas-Drake, Ph.D., Professor of Education and Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan
  • Christia Spears Brown, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Professor of Developmental, Social, and Health Psychology, University of Kentucky
  • Rikesha L. Fry Brown, Ph.D., co-founder and Executive Director of the African American Honors Collective and Adjunct Professor, Clark Atlanta University
  • Melissa Santos. Ph.D., Division Head, Pediatric Psychology, Connecticut Children’s

This show was edited together to feature thoughts and perspectives from people of various backgrounds. You will hear past interviews, including discussions from the April 10, 2024, “How to Talk to Kids about the 2024 Presidential Election” and the August 7, 2024, “Politics Across the Generations”. 

The Wheelhouse is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Frankie Graziano is the host of 'The Wheelhouse,' focusing on how local and national politics impact the people of Connecticut.
Chloe Wynne is a producer for 'The Wheelhouse' and 'Where We Live.' She previously worked as a producer and reporter for the investigative podcast series, 'Admissible: Shreds of Evidence,' which was co-produced by VPM and Story Mechanics and distributed by iHeartRadio. She began her journalism career at inewsource, an investigative newsroom in San Diego, Calif., where she covered housing, education and crime. She earned her master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2021, where she focused on audio storytelling.