Public's Priorities for 2012:
Deficit Rises, Terrorism Slips

23 January 2012 As the State of the Union approaches, more than eight-in-ten Americans say strengthening the economy and improving the job situation should be the top priorities. Although fewer Americans put reducing the federal budget deficit at the top of their lists, it is the fastest growing policy priority, largely because of growing concerns among Republicans. Fighting terrorism is given less priority today than over the course of the past decade.

Campaign 2012 in the Media:
The Storyline of the Race

18 January 2012 As South Carolinians prepare to vote, news coverage of front runner Mitt Romney is getting more negative while coverage of Ron Paul is getting better. With this report, the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism introduces an analysis that will continue throughout the election, "Campaign 2012 in the Media," which tracks the narrative in the press, the conversation on Twitter and data from elsewhere.

Mormons in America

Certain in Their Religious Beliefs,
Uncertain Of Their Place in Society

12 January 2012 A new national survey focused on Mormons finds a mixed picture about how they view their place in America. Many Mormons feel they are misunderstood, discriminated against and not accepted by other Americans. Yet, at the same time, a majority of Mormons think that acceptance of Mormonism is rising. They have highly positive views of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a fellow Mormon, and a majority think the country is ready to elect a Mormon president.

More Americans See Conflict Between Rich and Poor

11 January 2012 The Occupy Wall Street movement no longer occupies Wall Street, but the issue of class conflict has captured a growing share of the national consciousness. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that two-thirds of the public believes there are "very strong" or "strong" conflicts between the rich and the poor -- an increase of 19 percentage points since 2009.

Most Latinos Oppose Obama Policy on Deportations

28 December 11 Latinos disapprove by a margin of more than two-to-one of the way the Obama administration is handling deportations of unauthorized immigrants. Deportations have reached record levels under President Obama, higher than those of the Bush administration. However, the survey also reveals that heading into the 2012 presidential campaign, Obama and the Democratic Party continue to enjoy strong support from Latino registered voters, despite a decline in Obama's job approval rating.

It's About Fairness, Not Class Warfare

27 January 2012 Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut writes in the New York Times that while Americans are hearing more and more about class conflict, there is little indication that they are increasingly divided along rich-poor lines. Their concerns are about policies that give everyone a fair shot — a distinction that candidates in both parties should understand as they head into the 2012 campaigns.

Latinos Say They Have Fared Worst During the Economic Downturn

26 January 2012 A majority of Latinos believe that they have been the hardest hit of any other group in the U.S. by the economic downturn that began in 2007. Three-quarters of Latinos rate their personal finances as "only fair" or poor," and significant numbers have seen members of their households unemployed, canceled or delayed plans for major purchases and are underwater on their mortgages.

Latinos in the 2012 Election:
Voter Figures for Florida's Primary

23 January 2012 Final registration statistics for Florida's Jan. 31 presidential primary show almost 1.5 million Latinos are registered to vote statewide, making up 13.1% of the state's voters. There are 452,619 Latinos registered as Republicans, representing 11.1% of all Republican registered voters.

Tablet and E-Book Ownership
Nearly Doubled During the Holidays

23 January 2012 The share of adults who own tablet computers rose to 19% in early January, nearly doubling the 10% of adults who owned the device in mid-December as the holiday gift-giving period was about to begin. The number of owners of e-book readers jumped by the same amount. Overall, 29% of adults own at least one of these devices.

Obama: Weak Job Approval Ratings,
But Positive Personal Image

19 January 2012 Barack Obama begins his fourth year in office facing a struggling economy, an unhappy public, and a lower job approval rating than most of his recent predecessors at a comparable point in their presidencies. However, Obama possesses political strengths at the start of his reelection year, notably a positive personal image.

Public Sees This Year's Campaign
As Too Negative, Too Long, Dull

18 January 2012 Many Americans are highly critical of the 2012 presidential campaign, with half of the public saying it has been too negative and majorities describing it as too long and dull. While the number of those who say the campaign is too long is about the same as four years ago, significantly more Americans saw the 2008 presidential campaign as interesting and less believed it to be too negative.

Romney Holds Solid GOP Lead
But Is Unpopular Nationally

18 January 2012 Mitt Romney holds a substantial lead in the GOP presidential race, nearly doubling the support of his closest competitor. But among all voters, Romney's image is negative with a plurality expressing an unfavorable opinion of the former Massachusetts Governor.

Super PACs Having Negative Impact, Say Voters Aware of New Rules

17 January 2012 As campaign advertisements funded by Super PACs dominate the airwaves in the lead-up to the South Carolina primaries this Saturday, those voters who are aware of the 2010 Supreme Court decision that opened the door to this kind of spending overwhelmingly say the new campaign finance rules of had a negative effect.

Few GOP Voters Would Be Swayed
By Endorsements in Primaries

13 January 2012 Political endorsements by prominent Republicans would provide little help for GOP candidates in the primaries and might be more of a liability than a benefit in a general election campaign.

Many Voters Unaware of Basic Facts About the GOP Presidential Candidates

12 January 2012 Many voters do not know basic facts about the Republican candidates running for president or the early primary calendar. While a sizable majority knows that Newt Gingrich served as speaker of the House, only about half can identify Massachusetts as the state where Mitt Romney served as governor. Even among Republican voters, many don't know where Romney served as governor and are unfamiliar with Paul's stance on Afghanistan.

Real Time Charitable Giving:
Using Texts to Make Contributions

12 January 2012 Many Americans made use of the text messaging feature on their mobile phones to make contributions to disaster recovery efforts in Haiti after it was struck by a devastating earthquake in January 2010. The first in-depth study of mobile donors explores who the donors were and what motivated them to contribute.

Supreme Court Gives Wide Latitude
To Churches in Employment Decisions

11 January 2012 The Supreme Court issued a ruling in a significant church employment dispute, giving religious organizations wide latitude in hiring and firing clergy and other employees who perform religious duties. In its unanimous decision, the high court explicitly recognized a legal doctrine known as the “ministerial exception.”

Republican Voters Still Unenthused
About Their Presidential Field

9 January 2012 Republican voters continue to express mixed views of the party's presidential field. Roughly half (51%) of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters say the candidates are excellent or good, while 44% say they are only fair or poor. Mitt Romney holds a sizable lead in the race for the nomination while Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich are tied for second.

U.S. Foreign-Born Population:
How Much Change From 2009 to 2010?

9 January 2012 A new Pew Hispanic Center analysis of Census Bureau data shows the foreign-born population in the U.S.-- 39.9 million in 2010 -- is 1.6% greater than it was in 2009, markedly lower than the reported increase of 4%. The new growth estimate stems from the Center's revisions to the 2009 Census data.

Majority of Americans Continue
To Favor the Death Penalty

4 January 2012 The percentage of Americans who back the death penalty has changed only modestly in recent years, but there continues to be far less support for it than there was in the mid-1990s. Among opponents of the death penalty, there has been a significant increase since 1991 in concern about wrongful convictions.

Little Change in Public's Response
To 'Capitalism' and 'Socialism'

28 December 2011 The recent Occupy Wall Street protests have focused public attention on what organizers see as the excesses of America’s free market system, but perceptions of capitalism – and even of socialism – have changed little since early 2010 despite the recent tumult.

Religiously Active Americans Show High Level of Community Involvement

23 December 2011 Religiously active Americans are more tied to many civic and other organizations than non-religious Americans. Many report that their use of technology helps them in their group activities.

Women in the U.S. Military:
Growing Share, Distinctive Profile

22 December 2011 The number of women serving on active duty in the military has risen dramatically since the all-volunteer force was established in 1973. A new Pew Research Center study profiles the women who serve and looks at some of the ways they differ from men in the service.

Public Opinion Four Years Ago:
Mood Was Better Than It Is Today

20 December 2011 Four years ago, as voters were about to cast the first ballots in the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses, the public’s mood was not very good, but still a lot better than it is today.

Public Sees Tax System as Unfair; Majority Says It Needs an Overhaul

20 December 2011 Public dissatisfaction with the tax system has grown over the past decade. The public's frustration is not how much they themselves pay, but rather the impression that wealthy people are not paying their fair share. A majority of Americans say that so much is wrong with the tax system that Congress should completely change it.

Texting and Social Networking
Prove Popular Around the World

20 December 2011 Two kinds of digital communication that are popular in the United States -- texting with cell phones and use of social networks -- are also popular in many places around the world. Text messaging has become a global phenomenon and use of social networks is popular, especially in wealthier nations that have higher rates of internet access.

• Polls on Politics, Policy and Media
• Religion and Public Life
• News Media Research and Analysis
• Internet and Information Technology Trends
• Latino Trends and Attitudes
• International Opinion Polls
• Social and Demographic Trends

Family Trends Test

 Compare your views on the changing structure of U.S. families with those of Americans generally. Are you an Accepter? Skeptic? Rejecter? on pewsocialtrends.org

Test Your Religion IQ

 How much do you know about the world's major religions? And how do you score compared with the average American? Take our quiz and find out. on pewforum.org

Test Your News IQ

Take our latest quiz about prominent people and major events in the news. Then see how you did in comparison with 1,000 randomly sampled adults.

How Millennial Are You?

Take our quiz and we'll tell you how "Millennial" you are, on a scale from 0 to 100, by comparing your answers with those of respondents to a scientific nationwide survey.

The Media Tech Quiz

Test your knowledge of how the media cover technology. Which companies get the most press? What tech topics are trending on Twitter? on journalism.org

Check Your Science IQ

 Take a 12-item quiz, a mix of contemporary knowledge and text-book style questions, to find out.

How Does Your Community Stack Up?

Rate your community as a place to live, then compare your responses to those from our national survey. on pewsocialtrends.org

Internet Typology: R U Mobile?

 Users of communication technology range from "Digital Collaborators" and "Media Movers" to "Tech Indifferents" and "Off the Network." Take the quiz to find out which group you're in. on pewinternet.org        

Couples Quiz

Who calls the shots in your home? Nowadays, it's often the woman who wears the pantsuit. Take our  quiz to find out where you fit.  on pewsocialtrends.org

Visit Interactive for other features.

Beyond Red vs. Blue

 Analyze the 8 politically engaged 2011 Typology groups--from Staunch Conservatives to Solid Liberals--to compare their characteristics and positions on major issues.

 Tracking Family Trends

 Explore five decades of economic and demographic change in the structure of American families with an interactive database.
on pewsocialtrends.org

Mapping Mosque Controversies

 An interactive map shows the locations -- with click-through details -- of 35 proposed mosques and Islamic centers that have encountered community resistance in the last two years. on pewforum.org

How Religious Is Your State?

 Which of the 50 states has the most religious population? See how your state ranks on importance of religion in people's lives, attendance at worship services, frequency of prayer and certainty of belief in God. on pewforum.org

Marriage & Divorce: A 50-State Tour

 Explore state-by-state marriage, divorce and remarriage patterns across the country to see how your state measures up. on pewsocialtrends.org  

Who Owns the Media?

 An interactive database of firms that own news properties in the U.S. lets you explore each media sector. Also, Year in the News  answers questions about media coverage in 2010.
on journalism.org

Mapping Muslims Globally

 Interactive maps show the size and distribution of the 1.57 billion worldwide Muslim population. on pewforum.org

Pew Global Attitudes Project
Key Indicators Database

 Explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes toward the U.S. to views about globalization, democratization, an extremism. Results can be displayed in map, table or chart format. on pewglobal.org 

Latinos by Geography

 Interactive maps and data bases  provide details about the changing Latino population in each of the nation's 50 states and 3,141 counties. on pewhispanic.org

U.S. Religious Landscape Survey

 An extensive survey details the religious makeup, beliefs and practices of the American public. This online feature includes maps, graphs and charts. on pewforum.org

Visit Interactive for other features.