From the Huffington Post: Do Americans Prefer a "Democracy" or a "Republic"?

2305 students should be ready for questions related to the terms "democracy" and "republic." Conveniently, this item popped up. It's a bit disappointing though, it just looks at whether self identified Democrats and Republicans prefer each term with little focus on what each term means. It turns out partisans like the term that sounds like their party's name.

It's worth a look anyway: Click here for it.

While many Americans would be hard-pressed to identify any meaningful conceptual differences between these terms, it is interesting to see whether there is a partisan pattern that influences preferences on this question. As Professor Adam Brown wrote in 2011: "Let's face it: For some, this is just a matter of partisan cheerleading. Some (not all) Republicans want to call this a republic just because that sounds like 'Republican,' and some (not all) Democrats want to call this a democracy just because that sounds like 'Democrat.'" Is this the case? Do Republicans really prefer the term "republic" and do Democrats really prefer the term "democracy"?

It turns out - narrowly - they do. More importantly, the author links to sources that go a bit further into the definitions, and pros and cons, of each. I'm highlighting them here:

- Are We a Democracy or a Republic?
- A Constitutional Republic, Not a Democracy.
- Are We a Democracy?
- Democracy.
- Republicanism.