Recent Publications

PewResearch.org features major reports, data-driven commentary and analysis, news stories, transcripts and presentations on trends in public opinion and related policy issues in the Pew Research Center's areas of special concentration: U.S. public opinion, global attitudes, the news media, the impact of the internet on American life, the role of religion in public life, the changing experiences of Hispanics in America and social and demographic trends.

When the material resides on project sites, summaries appear on the PewResearch.org site, with links to the full documents on the particular project web site. The archive of past reports and other features include material posted directly on pewresearch.org beginning in February 2006. Complete lists of all project reports and other features, including archives of material released prior to February 2006, can be found on the individual project websites.

Half Say View of Obama Not Affected by Gay Marriage Decision
Independents Mostly Unmoved
14 May 12Roughly half of Americans (52%) say Barack Obama’s expression of support for gay marriage did not affect their opinion of the president.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Three-Quarters of Smartphone Owners Use Location-Based Services
11 May 12Nearly three-fourths (74%) of smartphone users use their phones to obtain real-time, location-based information and almost one-in-five use geosocial services such as Foursquare.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

One Year Later, Egyptians Embrace Democracy, Islam in Political Life
Muslim Brotherhood and Military Receive Positive Ratings
8 May 12Egyptians remain upbeat about the course of the nation and prospects for progress. Most Egyptians continue to want democracy, with two-in-three saying it is the best form of government. Egyptians also want Islam to play a major role in society.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Just-In-Time Information Through Mobile Connections
7 May 1286% of smartphone owners used their phone in the past month to make real-time queries to help them meet friends, solve problems, or settle arguments.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Supreme Court Favorability Reaches New Low
1 May 12Public assessments of the Supreme Court have reached a quarter-century low.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

On Anniversary of bin Laden’s Death, Little Backing of al Qaeda
30 Apr 12A year after the death of its leader, al Qaeda is widely unpopular among Muslim publics. Majorities in Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey and Lebanon expressed negative views of the terrorist group.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Growing Gap in Favorable Views of Federal, State Governments
Republicans Like State Government, Especially in GOP-Led States
26 Apr 12The gap between favorable ratings of the federal government and state and local governments is wider than ever. Just a third of Americans have a favorable opinion of the federal government, the lowest positive rating in 15 years.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

More Support for Gun Rights, Gay Marriage than in 2008 or 2004
25 Apr 12Opinions about a pair of contentious social issues, gun control and gay marriage, have changed substantially since previous presidential campaigns. On gun control, Americans have become more conservative; on gay marriage, they have become more liberal.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Net Migration from Mexico Falls to Zero and Perhaps Less
23 Apr 12After four- decades that brought 12 million current immigrants -- more than half of whom came illegally -- the net migration flow from Mexico to the United States has stopped and may have reversed.
Pew Hispanic Center

How the Media Covered the 2012 Primary Campaign
Less Horse Race than 2008
23 Apr 12Mitt Romney needed 15 weeks once the primary contests began to gain a secure hold over his party’s nomination for president. But he emerged as the conclusive winner in the media narrative about the race six weeks earlier following a narrow win in his native state, Michigan.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

A Gender Reversal On Career Aspirations
Young Women Now Top Young Men in Valuing a High-Paying Career
19 Apr 12In a reversal of traditional gender roles, young women now surpass young men in the importance they place on having a high-paying career or profession.
Social & Demographic Trends

Most Swing Voters Favor Afghan Troop Withdrawal
Support for U.S. Troop Presence Hits New Low
18 Apr 12Public support for maintaining U.S. forces in Afghanistan has reached a new low. And as the general election campaign begins, swing voters, by nearly two-to-one, favor removing U.S. troops from Afghanistan as soon as possible.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

With Voters Focused on Economy, Obama Lead Narrows
Social Issues Rank as Lowest Priorities
17 Apr 12As voters continue to focus on the economy and jobs as top issues, Barack Obama's lead over Mitt Romney has narrowed from a 12-point advantage last month to a slim 49% to 45% advantage. Neither candidate has a clear advantage on on the economy or jobs issues, which more than eight-in-ten voters cited as "very important" to their choice.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Future of Money: Smartphone Swiping in the Mobile Age
17 Apr 12Tech experts believe that by 2020 many consumers will have embraced smart-device swiping for purchases, but some suspect financial companies will slow down the trend.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Obama vs. Romney: Which One Can Defy Political History to Win?
16 Apr 12Barack Obama and Mitt Romney both carry so much political baggage that one or the other will have to defy modern political history to win in November.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Gay Marriage: The Electorate Changes, and Politics Follow
16 Apr 12In the 2004 elections, analysts believed that proposed state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage increased the turnout of socially conservative voters in as many as 11 states. But since then, many Americans have changed their minds, and a whole new generation has come of age with a different point of view on this issue.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Ask the Expert: Classifying Race and Ethnicity
16 Apr 12Question: Your surveys often show results based on “non-Hispanic whites” and “non-Hispanic blacks”. Why aren’t Hispanics counted in these categories?
Pew Research Center

Women, Work and Motherhood
A Sampler of Recent Pew Research Survey Findings
13 Apr 12Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen’s comment this week about Ann Romney’s lack of work experience has put the “mommy wars” back in the news. Here is a summary of surveys in recent years that explore public attitudes about issues related to women, work and motherhood.
Social & Demographic Trends

Digital Differences
For Some Groups Digital Disparities Still Remain
13 Apr 12While the number of Americans who go online has increased substantially over the years, about one-in-five adults still do not use the internet. About half of non-users don’t go online because they don’t think the internet is relevant to them.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

72% of Americans Follow Local News Closely
12 Apr 12Most adults follow local news closely, and local newspapers are by far the source they rely on for much of the local information they need.
Pew Internet & American Life Project and Project for Excellence in Journalism

Romney Split White Evangelical Voters with Santorum in Tuesday Primaries
4 Apr 12In winning the Wisconsin and Maryland GOP presidential primaries on Tuesday, Mitt Romney ran neck-and-neck with Rick Santorum among white born-again/evangelical voters, while Romney was the clear favorite of non-evangelical voters.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Rise of E-Reading
4 Apr 12One-fifth of American adults have read an e-book. The increasing availability of e-content is prompting some to read more than in the past and to prefer buying books to borrowing them.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity
4 Apr 12Nearly four decades after the United States government mandated the use of the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” to categorize Americans who trace their roots to Spanish-speaking countries, a new nationwide survey of Hispanic adults finds that these terms still haven’t been fully embraced by Hispanics themselves.
Pew Hispanic Center

Blacks’ Views of Law Enforcement, Racial Progress and News Coverage of Race
30 Mar 12The Trayvon Martin case has highlighted issues relating to the treatment of blacks by local police departments, the state of race relations in the U.S. and press coverage of African Americans. Pew Research Center surveys in recent years have covered the opinions of African Americans on these and other issues.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Gender Gap: Three Decades Old, as Wide as Ever
29 Mar 12Barack Obama's advantages among women voters over his GOP rivals are striking, with women favoring Obama over Mitt Romney by 20 points and over Rick Santorum by 26 points. When it comes to the political parties, 51% of women identify with the Democrats compared to 42% of men.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Two Primaries and a Gaffe Shape Campaign Coverage
March 19-25
26 Mar 12Another Southern primary win helped lift Rick Santorum to his best week of coverage since mid-February while the high-profile "Etch a Sketch" gaffe by an aide had an impact on Mitt Romney's narrative.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Religion and the 2012 Louisiana Republican Primary
26 Mar 12In winning the Louisiana GOP presidential primary, Rick Santorum won the majority of votes cast by white evangelical/born-again Christians, people who attend worship services weekly and voters who say it is at least somewhat important to have a candidate who shares their religious beliefs. He also won a clear victory among Catholic voters for the first time this primary season.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Web is Dead? Experts Say 'No'
Many Expect Apps and Web to Converge in the Cloud
23 Mar 12Technology experts generally believe the mobile revolution, the popularity of targeted apps, the monetization of online products and services, and innovations in cloud computing will drive Web evolution.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Top One-Word Reactions to GOP Candidates
Romney's Wealth Now Mentioned More than His Religion
22 Mar 12When Americans are asked what one word comes to mind when thinking about Mitt Romney, no single term stands out. The most frequent responses are “no” or “no way,” and “rich.” In surveys conducted last year, far more mentioned the Republican presidential candidate’s Mormon faith than anything else.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

More See “Too Much” Religious Talk by Politicians
Santorum Voters Disagree
22 Mar 12A new survey finds signs of public uneasiness with the mixing of religion and politics. The number of people who say there has been too much religious talk by political leaders stands at an all-time high since the Pew Research Center began asking the question more than a decade ago.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Religion in Prisons
A 50-State Survey of Prison Chaplains
22 Mar 12Professional prison chaplains see America's state penitentiaries as places bustling with religious activity, ranging from efforts by inmates to proselytize or convert other inmates to religious switching by prisoners, according to a survey of chaplains in all 50 states.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion and the 2012 Illinois Republican Primary
21 Mar 12In winning the Illinois Republican presidential primary, Mitt Romney continued to draw less support from white born-again/evangelical voters than from non-evangelicals, while Rick Santorum has yet to secure an outright victory among Catholic voters in any state for which data are available.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Demographics of the Jobs Recovery
Employment Gains by Race, Ethnicity, Gender and Nativity
21 Mar 12Hispanics and Asians are gaining jobs at a faster rate in the economic recovery than are blacks and whites, and immigrants are outpacing the native born. The disparities reflect the rapidly changing demographics of the U.S. workforce.
Pew Hispanic Center

As Gas Prices Pinch, Support for Oil and Gas Production Grows
Those Aware of Fracking Favor Its Use
19 Mar 12At a time of rising gas prices, more Americans continue to view the development of alternative energy sources as a higher priority than the increased production of oil, coal and natural gas, but the gap has narrowed considerably over the past year.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Teens, Smartphones & Texting
Texting Volume Is Up while the Frequency of Voice Calling Is Down
19 Mar 12Texting is the dominant daily mode of communication between teens and all those with whom they communicate.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

State of the News Media 2012
New Devices, Platforms Spur More News Consumption
19 Mar 12Mobile devices are adding to people’s consumption of news, strengthening the lure of traditional news brands and providing a boost to long-form journalism, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's ninth annual report on the health of American journalism.
Pew Research Center

Little Support for U.S. Intervention in Syrian Conflict
Foreign Policy Views: Afghanistan, Iran, Israel
15 Mar 12Most Americans say the U.S. does not have a responsibility to intervene in the conflict in Syria and oppose using military options to protect anti-government forces. However, a majority are concerned about the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons and worry that the U.S. will wait too long to act.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Boomerang Generation
Feeling OK about Living with Mom and Dad
15 Mar 12Large majorities of young adults ages 25 to 34 who are living at home with parents say they're satisfied with that arrangement and upbeat about their future finances.
Social & Demographic Trends

Santorum and Gingrich Split Evangelical Vote in Southern Primaries
14 Mar 12Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich finished in a virtual tie for first place among evangelical voters in both Alabama, where evangelicals comprised 75% of the electorate, and Mississippi, where evangelicals accounted for 80% of all GOP primary voters.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Romney Leads GOP Contest, Trails in Matchup with Obama
Gas Prices Offset Good News about Jobs
14 Mar 12Mitt Romney has retaken a significant lead nationally in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, even as he has fallen further behind Barack Obama in a general election matchup. Obama’s job approval rating has reached 50% for the first time since last May, shortly after the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Social Networking Sites and Politics
12 Mar 12Postings on social networking sites reveal surprises for many users when it comes to the political views of their friends. Nearly four-in-ten users discovered through postings by friends that their political beliefs were different than they thought. A small percentage of users blocked, unfriended or hidden someone on the site because their political postings.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Most Search Engine Users Disapprove of Use of Personal Data for Targeted Advertising
9 Mar 12Even though online Americans are more satisfied than ever with the performance of search engines, strong majorities have negative views of personalized search results and targeted ads.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Faith on the Move
The Religious Affiliation of International Migrants
8 Mar 12There are an estimated 214 million people who have migrated across international borders as of 2010. Almost half of the migrants are Christians while a little over a quarter of them are Muslims. The vast majority end up immigrating to a relatively few areas -- North America, Europe, Australia and the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Romney Struggles with Evangelicals While Santorum Trails with Catholics
7 Mar 12In the 10 GOP presidential caucuses and primaries held on Super Tuesday, Mitt Romney continued to get significantly less support from white born-again and evangelical voters. Rick Santorum has yet to achieve an outright victory among Catholics in any state for which data are available.
Pew Research Center

Does Humanitarian Aid Improve America’s Image?
6 Mar 12Humanitarian aid to countries struck by major natural disasters -- such as the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan nearly a year ago -- has produced more favorable opinions of the U.S. among the populations of those countries. But the long term impact of such aid on public opinion has proved to have its limits.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

GOP Race Is Rallying Democrats
Campaign Continues to Hurt GOP More Than It Helps
5 Mar 12Currently, 49% of Democrats say that as they learn more about the GOP candidates, their impression of Obama is getting better. Just 36% of Democrats expressed this view in December, before the Republican primaries began.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

How Newspapers Are Faring Trying to Build Digital Revenue
An In-Depth Look at How Newspapers Are Faring Trying to Build Digital Revenue
5 Mar 12The search for a new revenue model to revive the newspaper industry is making only halting progress, but some individual newspapers are faring much better than the industry overall and may provide signs of a path forward.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Romney's Wins in GOP Contests Depended on Non-Evangelical Voters
2 Mar 12In the caucuses and primaries that Mitt Romney has won so far in the race for the Republican nomination, Romney’s wins have come on the strength of his support among non-evangelical voters.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Public Spreads Blame for Rising Gasoline Prices
1 Mar 12While 18% say President Obama or his administration are most to blame, about as many (14%) volunteer the oil companies or domestic oil producers. Roughly one-in-ten (11%) mostly blame Iran, the upheaval in the Middle East or the threat of war in the region.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Colleges Viewed Positively, But Conservatives Express Doubts
1 Mar 12Americans generally think that colleges and universities have a positive impact on the country, however, conservative Republicans are skeptical of colleges’ effects on the country.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press