Election '08 Feed Subscribe to receive all Pew Research Center data and analysis about the 2008 election. Preview feedView all Election '08 reports
Last Updated: May 9, 2008
Spotlight
8 May 08 An examination of whether America's fourth most-admired journalist, Jon Stewart, is really the host of a news program.
28 Apr 08 Use the interactive tool to track generational differences in party affiliation over time.
The Databank
May
9
The Daily Number
66%
Two of every three women ages 50-64 say today's mothers are doing a worse job as parents than mothers did 20 or 30 years ago -- the highest level of criticism among any age-sex group in the US population. Read more
Where Do You Fit?
InteractiveTake our quiz about prominent people and major events in the news. Then see how you did in comparison with 1,003 randomly sampled adults.
Visit Where Do You Fit? for other interactive features.
Visit Where Do You Fit? for other interactive features.
The Top Story Index
News Interest and Coverage
May 5 - 11
News Interest and Coverage
May 5 - 11
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The presidential campaign once again was the most heavily covered story of the week, accounting for 38% of all news coverage. The public, however, was more interested in rising gas prices and the economy, both topics that received far less media coverage.
 % of public who followed this story most closely % of news coverage devoted to this storyLearn more about the Top Story Index
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Gas Prices
30% 3%
Economy
20% 10%
2008 Campaign
16% 38%
Iraq war veterans
7% 1%
Situation in Iraq
6% 3%
Austrian Hostage
4% 1%
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Where to Find:
9 May 08 While Barack Obama's appeal to the young coincides with their increasing Democratic alignment, older voters do not show the greater allegiance to the GOP that might explain their reluctance to support him.
8 May 08 While the outcome of the North Carolina primary fit into a racial pattern observed in earlier primaries this year, Clinton's showing in Indiana was less strong than would have been expected.
6 May 08 Last week, as Obama's controversial minister re-emerged into full public view, the controversy he generated made more news than either Hillary Clinton or John McCain.
6 May 08 Not a moment too soon, party insiders and state election officials are in informal talks to improve procedures for the next contest for the White House.
1 May 08 In four separate surveys conducted since March 20, when asked about each of the Democratic candidates, between 25%-31% of the public has said their opinions have recently become less favorable.
1 May 08 Barack Obama's slipping support for the Democratic nomination reflects a modest decline in his personal image rather than improved impressions of Hillary Clinton. Both retain advantage over McCain as economy tops public's concerns.
29 Apr 08 The week of the Pennsylvania primary ended with the prospect of a longer, tougher contest and with the volatile issue of race again occupying a prominent place in the media narrative.
29 Apr 08 With bills pending in state legislatures across the country, more states may move to require photo identification for voters in November.
25 Apr 08 Hillary Clinton won the Catholic vote in Pennsylvania's Democratic primary by more than a two-to-one margin, repeating a pattern among religious voters similar to those seen in other states.
17 Apr 08 Electability is an issue, and one that both Obama and Clinton are likely to use to woo the superdelegates. But our polling suggests that neither candidate has a demonstrable advantage to tout.
3 Apr 08 About two-in-five voters now say they have received a pre-recorded call about the campaign. Meanwhile, Democrats are far more engaged in campaign activities than are Republcians -- including donating money to a candidate.
20 Mar 08 The balance of party identification among the electorate, both nationally and in key swing states, now favors the Democratic Party by a much larger margin than in either of the two previous presidential election cycles.
Election '08 Feed Subscribe to receive all Pew Research Center data and analysis about the 2008 election. Preview feedView all Election '08 reports
Recent Findings and Releases
8 May 08 The proportion of Americans who say that the earth is getting warmer has decreased modestly since January 2007, mostly because of a decline among Republicans.
7 May 08 While the latest statistics reported fewer job losses than analysts expected, the public is expressing increasing concern about job availability; but unlike in the 1992 downturn, such worries are concentrated in the lower portions of the income spectrum.
8 May 08 Annual births to Hispanic women in the U.S. exceeded one million in 2006, and one-in-four children in the U.S. under age 5 is HispanicThese and other interesting data are included in a new Pew Hispanic Center fact sheet.
7 May 08 A watching world may find religious belief unexpectedly widespread in a communist country.
Revisiting the Papal Visit
6 May 08 Currently, 61% of Americans say they have a favorable impression of the pontiff, up from 52% in late March, while views of his outreach to other faiths have also shown substantial improvement.
6 May 08 The relationship between the relatively new pope and the hurting U.S. church was the primary story line in news reports of the pontiff's visit.
5 May 08 Iraq, the war on terrorism, support for Israel and other key features of U.S. foreign policy continue to generate animosity toward America in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. On the bright side, America seems to be winning the battle of ideas on some important fronts and improving U.S. image problems is not impossible.
5 May 08 To explore the issues raised by same-sex marriage, the Pew Forum interviewed former Sen. Rick Santorum, who opposes gay marriage, and journalist Jonathan Rauch, who argues in its favor.
30 Apr 08 Anyone who thinks that Americans worship at the feet of the almighty dollar should ask the American public. In fact, a new Social Trends survey finds only 13% of adults say it's "very important" for them to be wealthy, ranking this personal priority far behind six others measured.
24 Apr 08 A Pew Internet survey finds teens don't generally regard material they create electronically as real writing. Does e-communication help -- or hurt -- students' writing skills?
9 Apr 08 A new study finds fewer Americans now than at any time in the past half century believe they're moving forward in life. Still, two-thirds say their living standard is higher than their parents'.
Archives
The Pew Research Center recommends the following items from the deep archive:
Motherhood Today: Tougher Challenges, Less Success
A survey finds broad agreement among the public that it is harder to be a parent today - especially a mother - than it was in the 1970s or 1980s.
The Threat of Online Social Networks
Are today's teens sharing information on the internet that will harm their future college or job prospects? Or worse, are they putting themselves at risk of victimization?
Are We Happy Yet?
The Declaration of Independence includes among Americans' inalienable rights "the pursuit of happiness." A couple of centuries into the chase, how are we doing?
Motherhood Today: Tougher Challenges, Less SuccessA survey finds broad agreement among the public that it is harder to be a parent today - especially a mother - than it was in the 1970s or 1980s.
The Threat of Online Social NetworksAre today's teens sharing information on the internet that will harm their future college or job prospects? Or worse, are they putting themselves at risk of victimization?
Are We Happy Yet?The Declaration of Independence includes among Americans' inalienable rights "the pursuit of happiness." A couple of centuries into the chase, how are we doing?