Reports

Health Care and Fort Hood Stir Passions
19 Nov 09The tone and tenor of the online conversation in many ways mirrored that of talk radio and cable television last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

What the Public Hears About Health Care
19 Nov 09Debate over the public option has been more visible than any other specific element of reform. While few have heard how reform would be paid for, many more have heard about its cost.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Abortion Plays Small Role in Health Reform Opposition
Though Most Oppose Public Funding
19 Nov 09While most Americans oppose government funding of abortion, concern about abortion funding plays only a small role in driving opposition to the health care reform legislation. If anything, opposition to reform has declined, with currently 42% in favor and 39% opposed to the health care proposals in Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Modest Rise In Concern About Islamic Extremism
18 Nov 09Just more than half (52%) of Americans say they are very concerned about the possible rise of Islamic extremism in the U.S., up from 46% in April 2007.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Shooter's Past Creates More News
17 Nov 09Unlike previous violent crimes that dominated media attention, the coverage and debate over the shooting at Fort Hood did not dissipate in its second week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Faith-Based Programs Still Popular
Democrats Now More Supportive Than Republicans
16 Nov 09Faith-based initiatives remain popular eight years after President Bush unveiled his plan, but church-state concerns remain and not all religions garner high support for receiving funds. Also, 9% of Americans say they recently have turned to religious groups to help make ends meet.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Teens and Distracted Driving
Texting, Talking and Other Uses of the Cell Phone Behind the Wheel
16 Nov 09A new study finds that 43% of older American teens have talked on their cell phones and a quarter have sent text messages while driving; nearly half of all teenagers have been in a car whose driver was texting.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Fort Hood: The Online Conversation
12 Nov 09The shooting highlighted the emerging role of social media -- particularly Twitter -- in producing instantaneous accounts of breaking news events.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Shootings Seize Public's Attention
Americans Continue to Say Health Care Reform Will Pass
11 Nov 09Public attention to the Fort Hood shootings is on par with the tragedy in Virginia Tech. Despite media coverage, election results don't generate much interest.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Year Out, Widespread Anti-Incumbent Sentiment
Obama's Afghanistan Rating Declines
11 Nov 09The mood of America is glum. Most are dissatisfied with the state of the nation, economic conditions, personal finances and an increasing number say the war in Afghanistan is not going well. Still, a majority continues to approve of Obama's job as president.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Shooting Shakes Up Media Stories
10 Nov 09The Fort Hood attack was primarily a television story, with some cable news shows quickly turning the shootings into a kind of wedge issue.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Religious Landscape Survey Data Release
9 Nov 09Data files from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, including interviews with a representative sample of more than 35,000 U.S. adults, are now available to the public for further study and analysis.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Paradoxical Relationship of Religion and Science
6 Nov 09While most embrace science and its benefits, strong religious convictions can affect some Americans' willingness to accept certain theories and discoveries. A new report examines the history of science and religion, the debates about them and how the two have been both adversaries and allies.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Bloggers Express Outrage Over Assault
5 Nov 09Many commentators put as much blamed the bystanders to the crime, and American society and culture, as those who actively participated.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Swine Flu Interest Outpaces Coverage
68% Hearing "Mostly Bad News" about Jobs
5 Nov 09The public's impression of economic news remains mixed at best, with 68% hearing "mostly bad news" about jobs.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Social Isolation and New Technology
How the Internet and Mobile Phones Impact Americans' Social Networks
4 Nov 09A new study challenges previous research and commonplace fears about the harmful social impact of internet and cell phone use.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Not Much New News
3 Nov 09For the fourth week in a row, health care, Afghanistan and the economic crisis accounted for roughly 40% of the newshole.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

End of Communism Cheered But Now With More Reservations
Two Decades After the Wall's Fall
2 Nov 09Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, publics of former Iron Curtain countries generally look back approvingly at the collapse of communism. However, enthusiasm about these changes has dimmed in most of the countries surveyed, and many say that most people were better off under communism.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

How the Public Judges News Network Ideology
Swine Flu Tops Weekly News Interest
29 Oct 09The perception of Fox News as mostly conservative is shared across news audiences, but Fox News viewers are more likely to see the other cable and network stations as mostly liberal.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Float On: Balloon Boy Still King Online
Global Warming Skeptics Find Big Audience on Blogs
29 Oct 09Anger over the drama surrounding Falcon Heene lived on in the blogs. Meanwhile, those on Twitter celebrated the five billionth tweet.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge
29 Oct 09Driven by a recession-era surge in enrollments at community college, the number of Americans ages 18 to 24 attending college hits a new high, while the high school dropout rate falls to a record low.
Social & Demographic Trends

Bonus Coverage
White House vs. Fox is a Top Story
27 Oct 09Anger over Wall Street compensation brought the economy back onto the media's radar. Also, Obama versus Fox News made news on all outlets.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Social Media Float in Thin Air
Global Warming and Balloon Boy Take Up Online Talk
22 Oct 09While blogs filled with global warming skepticism, the rest of social media tweeted about Balloon Boy.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Finds Afghanistan News Unchanging, Hard to Follow
Growing Number Expects Health Care Bill to Pass
22 Oct 09As interest in the war remains modest, most Americans are unable to correctly estimate the number of U.S. fatalities in Afghanistan. Also, a majority now expects health care reform to pass.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Fewer Americans See Solid Evidence of Global Warming
Modest Support for “Cap and Trade” Policy
22 Oct 09There has been a sharp decline in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence that global temperatures are rising. Still, there is more support than opposition for cap and trade policy.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

RT: More Americans Tweeting
19% of Internet Users on Twitter or Another Service
21 Oct 09One-in-five online Americans are now on Twitter. Those on social networking websites, mobile internet users and young adults have been most responsible for the proliferation of tweets.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Balloon Boy Takes Media for a Ride
Snowe Day Puts Health Care News Atop Media Agenda
20 Oct 09While votes and arguments about health care lead the media agenda for the full week, the story of an empty balloon was the No. 1 topic from Thursday on.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Email, Nobel and Dave
15 Oct 09News of an email scam that compromised thousands of passwords animated the blogosphere until late in the week, when the focus shifted abruptly to Barack Obama’s surprising Nobel Peace Prize. On YouTube, a Letterman mea culpa drew the most hits.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Swine Flu News Gets a Shot in the Arm
Fewer than Half Would Get Vaccine
15 Oct 09Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say the media are overstating the danger of the swine flu and that they would not get vaccinated.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

What Does the Public Know?
Well-Known: Public Option, Sotomayor
Little-Known: Cap & Trade, Baucus
14 Oct 09There is a lot to keep up with in the news right now. Many Americans know key facts about health care and the economy, but questions about Afghanistan and environmental legislation in Congress stump the public.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Afghanistan No Longer a Forgotten War
Coverage Focused on Internal Debate Over Troops Levels
14 Oct 09After years of being ignored by the media -- the war accounted for only 1% of the newshole in 2008 -- Afghanistan has emerged atop the news agenda.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Most Still Oppose Gay Marriage, but Support for Civil Unions Continues to Rise
9 Oct 09A 57% majority of Americans support civil unions, continuing a long-term trend of increasing support, but a majority still opposes same-sex marriage. The issue continues to sharply divide religious and political groups.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Celebrity Jeopardy: Blogs Talk Polanski
8 Oct 09The Roman Polanski saga generated three times the news links as did the second-largest story in the blogosphere.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Mixed Views of Economic Policies and Health Care Reform Persist
8 Oct 09Most Americans remain optimistic that Barack Obama’s policies will help the economy, but see no clear signs of recovery yet; many key provisions of health care reform remain popular but support for the overall package has slipped.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Renews Rx for Health Care News
Debate Still Interesting and Important, but also Hard to Follow
8 Oct 09Health care has been the public's top story for weeks, and few say it has received too much media coverage. But a large majority still finds the topic hard to understand.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Mapping the Global Muslim Population
A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population
8 Oct 09A comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion. A series of interactive maps show the size and distribution of the worldwide Muslim population.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Changing Pathways of Hispanic Youths into Adulthood
7 Oct 09Even as their share of the young adult population has risen dramatically, young Latino adults in the United States have become more likely to be in school or the work force now than their counterparts were in previous generations.
Pew Hispanic Center

Latinos and Education: Explaining the Attainment Gap
7 Oct 09Almost all Latino young adults say a college education is important, but only half say they themselves plan to get a degree. The reason for the disparity: Immigrants, who feel financial pressures to support a family, are half as likely as native-born Latinos to plan on graduating.
Pew Hispanic Center

Media Fan Olympic Flame
Foreign Affairs Stay in the News
6 Oct 09Obama's decision to lobby directly to bring the games to Chicago provided grist for the partisan Washington mill last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Supports Military Action Against Iran to Prevent Nuclear Weapons
Diplomacy Favored, But Most Doubt Its Effectiveness
6 Oct 09About six-in-ten Americans feel it is more important to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons with military force than to avoid conflict. However, most also approve of direct negotiations and tougher economic sanctions. The efficacy of diplomacy is questioned, though.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Covering the Great Recession
How the Media Have Depicted the Economic Crisis
5 Oct 09The gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression has been covered in the media largely from the top down, told primarily from the perspective of the Obama administration and big business.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Blogs: Under the Table and Screaming
1 Oct 09Rants about troop levels in Afghanistan and Dave Matthews’s comments about the element of racism in opposition to Obama dominated the blogosphere.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Support for Abortion Slips
Issue Ranks Lower on the Agenda
1 Oct 09The election of President Obama may have moved the needle on abortion opinion. Opposition to abortion is up among Republicans, while opinion has changed little among the president’s strongest backers. As the importance of abortion as an issue has declined among liberals, opposition from conservatives has become more firm.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Media Have Less Influence on Views about Health Care, Economy
Health Care Debate Continues to Top News Interest
30 Sep 09News outlets play much less of a role in shaping views of health reform and the economy -- where personal experiences are an important factor -- than they do on environmental issues and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Foreign Policy at the Forefront
Health Care Coverage Falls Off
30 Sep 09Taking a detour from the health care debate, the media moved to foreign affairs, covering the UN and continuing their recent scrutiny of Afghanistan.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Blogs Focus on Obama Critics
24 Sep 09Online, three storylines dominated a week spent in large part in assessing the president's standing with the American public.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Little Evidence of Obama Overexposure
Wide Partisan Gap in Awareness of ACORN Scandal
23 Sep 09The number of Americans hearing "too much" about the president has not increased during his push for health care.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Most Mexicans See Better Life in U.S.
Mexican Public Troubled by Crime, the Economy, Drugs and Corruption
23 Sep 09A survey of Mexico finds most dissatisfied with the direction of their country. Overwhelming numbers describe the economy, crime, drugs and corruption as very big problems. Many believe there is a better life in the U.S., would migrate if they had the chance, and would do so without authorization.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Race Captures Media Coverage
22 Sep 09From early February through mid-September, Obama's race was a significant factor in only 1% of the stories in which he was a lead newsmaker. Last week, his race was a significant element in fully 25% of the stories in which he was the prominent figure.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Support for Afghanistan War Wanes
Majority of Democrats Favor Removing Troops
22 Sep 09While an overwhelming number of Americans say the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan would represent a major threat to the U.S., just half support keeping troops in that country. Pluralities of Democrats, women and those with a high school education or less favor bringing troops home as soon as possible.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Giant Rat, GOP Outburst Online
17 Sep 09The blogosphere's attention was evenly split between the discovery of a new giant rat species and Rep. Joe Wilson.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama's Image: Less Glittering But Still Positive
Public Now Evenly Divided Over Health Care Proposals
17 Sep 09While ratings of Obama's personal traits have fallen since post-inauguration highs, impressions of the president remain overwhelmingly positive. Post speech, the public is narrowly split over health care proposals.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Demographic Profiles of U.S. Hispanics by Country of Origin
16 Sep 09More than eight-in-ten Hispanics self-identify themselves as being either of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran or Dominican origin. The characteristics of each group -- including the share that is foreign born, citizen (by birth or naturalization) and proficient in English -- is examined in five fact sheets.
Pew Hispanic Center

Health Care Debate Seen as "Rude and Disrespectful"
Debate Continues to Dominate Public Interest
16 Sep 09Health care reform has been the dominant news story since late July, but it now has a 29-point advantage over the second most closely followed story. But most Americans say the tone of the debate has been negative.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

'You Lie' Gets Healthy Coverage
Seventh Time in Eight Weeks Health Care is No. 1 Story
15 Sep 09Analysis of Obama's speech and Wilson's outburst together accounted for nearly half of the news about health care .
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Press Accuracy Rating Hits Two-Decade Low
Public Evaluations of the News Media: 1985-2009
14 Sep 09Just 29% of Americans now say that news organizations generally get the facts straight, while 63% say that news stories are often inaccurate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Column Puts Afghanistan in Blogosphere
Disney Buying Marvel Comics was No. 2 Online
10 Sep 09George Will's article was a catalyst for online comment. Disney buying Marvel Comics also consumed blogs.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Americans Researching the Recession Also Look for Digital Diversions
10 Sep 09Most Americans who have turned to online sources for economic information have also used the internet to take their minds off of their financial troubles, especially younger online economic users.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Muslims Widely Seen As Facing Discrimination
Views of Religious Similarities and Differences
9 Sep 09Nearly six-in-ten say Muslims are subject to a lot of discrimination, far more than say the same about Jews, evangelical Christians, atheists or Mormons. A new survey also finds the public is more likely to see differences rather than similarities between their own religion and every other religion tested, with the sole exception of Protestantism.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

What’s News? Depends Where You Look
Health Care Remains Overall Top Story
9 Sep 09Newspapers (economy), network news (California wildfires), online news (Afghanistan) and cable news (health care debate) all featured different top stories last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Most Plan to Watch Obama Speech
Health Care Reform Interesting, but Hard to Understand
8 Sep 09Interest in health care reform remains extremely high, but two-thirds continue to say the issue is hard to understand.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Kennedy Condolences Dominate Blogs
3 Sep 09Posts on Kennedy were predominantly about sharing emotions and memories, creating a sense of collective tribute.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Worried, Informed About H1N1
Health Care Remains Public's Top Story
3 Sep 09Most Americans are confident in the government's ability to deal with the swine flue, less trust the media to accurately report on it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Recession Turns a Graying Office Grayer
America’s Changing Work Force
3 Sep 09Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer. Both trends intensified with the recession and are expected to continue after the economy recovers. One reason: Older workers value not just a paycheck, but the psychological and social rewards.
Social & Demographic Trends

Congressional Favorability Falls to 24-Year Low; Dems Lose Midterm Advantage
Independents Move to GOP in Midterm Matchup
2 Sep 09Americans’ opinion of Congress is at a 24-year low, and as a result the party in power has lost its electoral edge. Voters split between the Democrats and GOP in a 2010 matchup, but Democrats are still favored on most issues.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Civic Engagement Online: Politics as Usual
1 Sep 09The internet is not changing the character of civic engagement, as participation remains the domain of those with high levels of income and education. However, there are hints that forms of civic engagement anchored in blogs and social networking sites could alter long-standing patterns.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Kennedy Gets Spotlight One Last Time
1 Sep 09The media took a break from health care and other stories to pay tribute and to debate the legacy of Teddy Kennedy.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Offbeat: Zombies and Cocaine on Blogs
27 Aug 09Health care couldn't compete online with research studies about a zombie attack and cocaine on U.S. currency.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

International Stories Don't Register
Public Takes Note of Swine Flu Vaccine
26 Aug 09While health care is the public's top story, as many heard about Brett Farve as protesters bringing guns to town halls. Most heard news about the availability of swine flu vaccines.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Focus Turns to Health Care Scorecard
Afghanistan Has Eclipsed Iraq as Focus of International Attention
25 Aug 09A growing consensus that Obama was losing the political-message battle permeated coverage. Also, Afghanistan received three times the press of Iraq in the last three weeks.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Health Care Shouting Moves to Blogs
20 Aug 09Liberal bloggers accused conservatives of spreading fear and falsehoods, while conservatives asserted that liberals were hiding their real goal -- a government-dominated system.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Death Panels Live On With Fox Viewers
Fewer See Press as Fair to Obama
20 Aug 09Regular viewers of Fox News Channel are far more likely than viewers of other cable news channels and nightly network news to say claims of death panels are true.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Souring on Washington
Democratic Party Favorability Falls Sharply
19 Aug 09More say the president and GOP leaders are not working together, as Obama's approval inches lower and the Democratic Party's favorability falls sharply. Opinion about the economy remains negative with personal financial assessments becoming more bearish.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

More and More Teens on Cell Phones
19 Aug 09Significantly behind just a few years ago, teens are quickly catching up to adults in cell phone ownership. Few demographic differences exist among teens in use, with one exception: age. A sharp increase in ownership occurs at age 14, right at the transition from middle to high school.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Obama's Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
18 Aug 09A new report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life examines President Obama’s faith-based advisory council, including descriptions of their goals and profiles of members.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Confrontational Health Care Coverage
18 Aug 09Cable news became ground zero for town hall "ruckus" as death threats, swastikas and comparisons with Nazi Germany became part of the media narrative.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Echo Chamber: Tweeting About Twitter
13 Aug 09The attention given online to the outage over Twitter's momentary shutdown speaks to a popular theme in new media -- social media talking about social media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Pakistan: Growing Concerns About Extremism, Continuing Discontent with U.S.
13 Aug 09Pakistani public opinion has turned against al Qaeda and the Taliban, and concerns about Islamic extremism are widespread. At the same time, Pakistanis continue to express negative views of the U.S., although there is an openness to improving relations between the two countries.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Americans Hear Improvement in Tone of Economic News
Health Care Town Halls Register Widely
12 Aug 09Americans are hearing better news coverage about financial markets, real estate and prices. Also, as the health care debate tops interest, town hall protests register widely, with a majority calling the behavior appropriate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Measuring Media: Faith-Based Initiative
12 Aug 09While Obama adopted much of the program put into place by Bush, it has generated little of the contentious press coverage sparked by his predecessor's effort.
Project for Excellence in Journalism and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Forty Years After Woodstock, A Gentler Generation Gap
12 Aug 09They have different values, beliefs and lifestyles, but young and old today are disagreeing without being disagreeable, a new Pew Research survey finds. They also share a fondness for Woodstock-era rock and roll.
Social & Demographic Trends

Health Care News Heats Up
11 Aug 09Despite falling off in other media sectors, health care stayed atop the news agenda due to overwhelming, and partisan, talk-show coverage.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Opinion of State Governments Drops With the Economy, Budget Gaps
New Administration Changes Partisan Views of Federal Government
11 Aug 09The falloff in favorable views has been greater in states with the largest budget gaps. Also, the new administration has shifted partisan views of the federal government dramatically.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Blogs Chew Over Food and Health while Iran Surges on Twitter
6 Aug 09While the mainstream media focused on the health care reform battle, the blogosphere highlighted two stories about food, and Iran updates dominated Twitter.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Many Fault Media Coverage of Health Care Debate
6 Aug 09As the fight in Washington over health care reform continues to dominate public attention and media coverage, most Americans are critical of the way news organizations are explaining key elements of the debate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Healthy Debate
"Birther" Controversy Cracks Mainstream Media Agenda
4 Aug 09With the talk shows leading the way, the increasingly polarizing health care story stayed firmly atop the news agenda.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Bloggers Seize on Obama's Slipping Poll Numbers
30 Jul 09At the six-month point of Barack Obama's term, conservative bloggers drove a discussion of what they saw as Obama struggling politically, perhaps for the first time in his presidency. Dr. Who's new costume and a library book fight topped the Gate's story in online attention-getting.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama's Ratings Slide Across the Board
Public Supports Health Care Goals, But Not Current Proposals
30 Jul 09Support for Obama's job performance -- as well as his handling of health care, the economy and deficit--has fallen, but most remain confident his policies will be positive in the long term. The public supports many of his health care goals but opposes many proposals being debated in Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Health Care Tops Interest
30 Jul 09The debate over health care reform has become the public's top story. The Gate's controversy draws more interest than other recent stories about race.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Your Other Tube: Audience for Video-Sharing Sites Soars
62% of Online Adults Watch Video Online
29 Jul 09The number of online adults who say they have visited an online-video site has nearly doubled since 2006, and outpaces other online pastimes such as social networking, downloading podcasts and tweeting. Watching video on sites such as YouTube is near-universal among young adults.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Political Fight is Good Media Medicine
But Knocked Off by Gates by Week's End
28 Jul 09As health care reform evolved from a discussion of policy minutiae to a political fight media coverage soared, especially in debate-driven radio and cable news. Still, it couldn't compete with a story about race later in the week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

A Portrait of Mormons in the U.S.
24 Jul 09Founded in 1830, Mormonism is now practiced by 1.7% of U.S. adults, comparable to the American Jewish population. Followers are concentrated in the West, and stand out for having exceptionally high levels of religious commitment and for very conservative political views.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Palin, Cats, Robots ... and Iran
23 Jul 09Once again, the online media's news agenda didn't quite match the mainstream media's.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Confidence in Obama Lifts U.S. Image Around the World
Most Muslim Publics Not So Easily Moved
23 Jul 09In many countries opinions of the United States are now about as positive as they were at the beginning of the decade before George W. Bush took office. Improvements in the U.S. image have been most pronounced in Western Europe, where favorable ratings for both the nation and the American people have soared. But opinions of America have also become more positive in key countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia, as well. Signs of improvement in views of America are seen even in some predominantly Muslim countries.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Health Reform Interests but Confuses Public
Rising Criticism of Government's Handling of the Economy
22 Jul 09Nearly all Americans say health care reform is important, and most even consider the debate interesting rather than boring. But many are also confused by it, and want more news coverage. Also, Americans have grown more critical of the government's handling of the economy.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Recession Slows -- but Does Not Reverse -- Mexican Immigration
22 Jul 09The flow of immigrants from Mexico to the U.S. has declined sharply since mid-decade, but there is no apparent increase in the number of Mexican-born migrants returning home.
Pew Hispanic Center

America Unwired
22 Jul 09Accessing the internet is now a multiplatform affair with 56% of all Americans having accessed the internet by wireless means.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

For Sotomayor, No News is Still News
21 Jul 09Today's coverage may be as much a function of where journalists are assigned as what really happens there.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Lipstick, White Gloves...and Iran
16 Jul 09The mixed news agenda in the blogosphere more closely resembled that of the mainstream media last week. But tweets continued to focus on Iran and Palin attracted few links.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Too Much Jackson? Not at the Water Cooler
On Palin, Press Bias Lies in the Eye of the Partisan Beholder
15 Jul 09While many Americans may say he has received too much coverage, Michael remained by far the most talked about news story. Also, on Palin, press bias lies in the eye of the partisan beholder.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Recession Dot Net
15 Jul 09More than two-thirds of Americans have logged on to the internet looking for financial information. Of these "online economic users" most are looking for good deals and job opportunities. More said that what they learned on the internet made them more anxious than said they were made more confident.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Media Won't Quit on Palin, Jackson
Celebrities Dominate News Agenda
14 Jul 09With the assistance of plenty of media self-examination, two polarizing celebrities drove the news agenda.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Gay Marriage Debate: Where It Stands
10 Jul 09In recent years, the debate over same-sex marriage has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a nationwide controversy. A special report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life describes the various dimensions of the controversy.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Beat It: Jackson Out of Blogosphere
Walkman and Pitchman Shove King of Pop Aside Online
9 Jul 09Unlike the traditional press, social media moved beyond Michael Jackson last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media
Scientific Achievements Less Prominent Than a Decade Ago
9 Jul 09A new survey of scientists and the public finds large majorities holding positive views of science. But scientists are concerned about Americans' ignorance of scientific findings and large differences exist between the two groups' views on evolution and global warming. Still, overwhelming percentages in both groups think that government investments in science and technology pay off in the long run.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

King of Pop Remains on Top
8 Jul 09Though Jackson was most watched, many still had time to hear plenty about Mark Sanford's "love story."
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Wilted Green Shoots
8 Jul 09The number of Americans hearing mostly negative economic news has been steadily rising since May, especially among independents.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
8 Jul 09While wars and political battles raged on, Jackson -- driven by TV coverage -- continued to lead the media agenda.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Deaths of Michael Jackson and "Neda" Grip the Blogosphere
2 Jul 09In life, Michael Jackson and Neda Agha-Soltan had little in common. But together their deaths consumed the blogosphere and became emblematic of the flow and character of modern communication.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Too Much Michael?
1 Jul 09The public closely tracked the sudden death of pop superstar Michael Jackson last week, though nearly two-in-three Americans say news organizations gave the story too much coverage.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

From Protests to Pop
30 Jun 09The media swung their attention from the protests in Iran to the death of Michael Jackson with stops at Gov. Sanford and Farah Fawcett along the way.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Growing Old in America: Expectations vs. Reality
29 Jun 09Getting old isn't nearly as bad as people think it will be. Nor is it quite as good. A new Pew Research social trends survey finds a sizeable gap between expectations and actual experiences.
Social & Demographic Trends

140 Characters of Protest
25 Jun 09The unrest in Iran has demonstrated as never before the power and influence of social media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Iran's Interesting... For a Foreign Story
24 Jun 09The share of the public following the situation in Iran ranks near the top of recent international stories, excluding those directly involving the U.S., rivaling interest in the economy.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Who's Your Favorite Republican?
Romney's Ratings Up; Palin Still Polarizing
24 Jun 09While Sarah Palin is a GOP favorite, it is Mitt Romney who now enjoys a positive balance of opinion among the general public. Newt Gingrich remains a divisive figure and Michale Steele is still mostly unknown.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Iran's Revolutionary Coverage
23 Jun 09A substantial amount of mainstream press coverage of Iran discussed the impact of social media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public More Optimistic About the Economy, But Still Reluctant to Spend
19 Jun 09Increasingly, Americans express the view that the nation’s economy will improve in the next year, and a growing number also expect their personal finances to get better. But this has not caused people to open their wallets.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Political Extremism (at Home and Abroad) Dominates the Blogosphere
19 Jun 09Two events in the last week triggered an online debate about political extremism—one in Europe and one in Washington D.C. And the most-viewed news video on YouTube was the start of a feud between David Letterman and Sarah Palin.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama's High Ratings Hold Despite Some Policy Concerns
18 Jun 09A solid majority of Americans continue to approve of Barack Obama’s job performance, although they express mixed views of several of his policies. Only about one-in-five Americans (21%) say the U.S. is less safe from terrorism under the Obama administration than under the Bush administration
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Job Situation is Bad News
17 Jun 09While Americans say they are hearing more of a mix of good and bad news about prices, financial markets and real estate, news about jobs is seen as overwhelmingly bad.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Home Broadband Adoption 2009
17 Jun 09Strong growth among senior citizens and rural residents has pushed the number of Americans with high-speed internet connections to 63%, up from 55% in 2008. But African Americans experienced their second consecutive year of below-average broadband adoption growth.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Vote Uncovers Forgotten Story: Iran
16 Jun 09Until last week, Iran had attracted less than half the media attention devoted to the threat posed by teenage Somali pirates this year.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Shooting Sparks Abortion Debate Online
11 Jun 09Discussions surrounding the murder of George Tiller far outpaced Obama's Cairo speech and the economy online.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Shared Search for Health Information on the Internet
61% of American Adults Now Look Online for Medical Help
11 Jun 09While most Americans still turn to a doctor for health information, a growing number research and discuss medical issues on the internet. Fully 61% have gone online for health info -- up from 25% in 2000 -- and most report positive experiences. More adults are turning to the internet for fitness and exercise information as well.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Different Stories, Different Audiences
Coverage of Obama Seen as Largely Fair
11 Jun 09Four-in-ten of those who watch Fox News regularly say that coverage of Obama has not been critical enough.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Trip Spotlights Middle East
Sotomayor Fades from the Headlines
9 Jun 09The president's speech focused attention on subjects -- Iraq, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- which had received relatively little coverage this year.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Same-Sex Marriage Continues Blog Dominance
4 Jun 09Gay marriage has bubbled up again and again online in a debate often missing from the mainstream media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

First Impressions of Sotomayor Mostly Positive
Press Coverage of Nomination Seen as Fair
4 Jun 09While a plurality of Americans say coverage of the nomination has been fair, Republicans are significantly more likely to say it has not been critical enough.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Sotomayor, and Race, Drive the News
40% of the Stories About the Judge Referenced Her Ethnicity
2 Jun 09Sotomayor was the first person to exceed Obama as the lead newsmaker since his inauguration; 40% of the stories about Sotomayor's nomination referenced her ethnicity.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

California, Rappers and Fossils
29 May 09The conversation online looks nothing like the mainstream media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Not That Into Terror Debate
Too Much Steroids and Flu News, Not Enough Pakistan
28 May 09While the media may love a political fight, Americans say they are following stories about money and health.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Global Pandemic, Global Coverage
28 May 09Turns out that coverage of the swine flu in the U.S. was actually less sensationalized than was media coverage in some other major nations.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Latino Children: A Majority Are U.S.-Born Offspring of Immigrants
28 May 09Hispanics now make up 22% of all children under the age of 18 in the United States -- up from 9% in 1980 -- and as their numbers have grown, their demographic profile has changed.
Pew Hispanic Center

Beltway Battle Bumps Economy
27 May 09With a political-conflict narrative, terrorism -- almost untouched by the media last year -- has supplanted the recession as the top story.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Online Classifieds Climb
22 May 09The number of online adults to use classified ad websites, such as Craigslist, more than doubled from 2005 to 2009 devastating a key revenue source for traditional newspapers .
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Tortured Debate Online
21 May 09The polarizing issue of what defines torture again dominated social media last week but bloggers also focused on a Saudi judge's slap at women shoppers.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Independents Take Center Stage in the Obama Era
Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2009
21 May 09Centrism has emerged as a dominant factor in public opinion as the Obama administration begins. Republicans and Democrats are even more divided than in the past, while the growing political middle is steadfastly mixed in its beliefs about government, the free market and other values that underlie views on contemporary issues and policies. Both political parties have lost adherents since the election and an increasing number of Americans identify as independents.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Car Dealership Closings Draw Wide Attention
"American Idol" Still Gets Nation's Vote
20 May 09News about the car dealership closings is as big as last fall's bank failings. Also, who watches "Idol"?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Politics Punctuate the Terrorism Debate
Pelosi and Cheney Help Fuel the Narrative
19 May 09The story was especially dominant on the ideological, debate-oriented talk shows on radio and prime-time cable.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Wide-Ranging Conversation Online
14 May 09While the mainstream media agenda was dominated by the economy and flu, bloggers talked up gay marriage, e-readers and botched photo-op.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Establishment Clause and Government Funding of Faith-Based Organizations
14 May 09Most legal scholars agree that the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits at least some government funding of religion, but they disagree sharply on exactly what is permissible.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Not Your Grandfather's Recession -- Literally
Different Ages, Different Downturns
14 May 09Relatively speaking, older Americans' attitudes and lifestyles have been less affected by the economic slump than have those of younger Americans. Meantime, the "Threshold Generation," people nearing retirement, have been hardest hit, as they’ve seen their nest eggs shrink the most.
Social & Demographic Trends

Public Sees Less Glum News About Economy
Swine Flu Interest High But Flagging
13 May 09Gender gaps emerge on top stories. Men follow the economy and Manny; women prefer the flu and first face transplant operation.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Feed an Economy, Starve a Flu
12 May 09With the virus no longer so deadly, the press turned to financial and foreign-policy fears.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Through Boom and Bust: Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership
12 May 09The ups and downs in the U.S. housing market over the past decade and a half have generated both greater gains and larger losses for minority groups than for whites.
Pew Hispanic Center

Pig Flu and Politics Clog the Blogs
8 May 09Bloggers last week debated whether the worldwide swine flu outbreak was a serious public health menace or a case of excessive media hype. And Arlen Specter’s change of parties stirred a partisan debate over the state of the GOP.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Virus Goes Viral Online
Local TV Top Spot for Learning about Disease
6 May 09While most Americans are turning to TV to learn about the swine flu, the internet ranks as the leading source for "useful" information.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Big Stories Fall to Flu Fever
5 May 09Obama's 100th day, a political earthquake, a Supreme Court retirement and more bad news for Detroit should have all been major media events, but none withstood the onslaught of swine flu.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Two Hot Topics Heat Up the Net
1 May 09While stories about torture and gay marriage both stirred passions, the pattern of responses in social media was very different.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Takes Conservative Turn on Gun Control, Abortion
30 Apr 09Public attitudes on two contentious national issues -- gun control and abortion -- have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year. In both cases, the changes have largely been driven by shifts in attitudes among men.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Dissecting the 2008 Electorate: Most Diverse in U.S. History
Black women had the highest voter turnout rate in November's election -- a first.
30 Apr 09Demographic changes in America have increased the number of eligible non-white voters, but the racial and ethnic diversity of last year's electorate was also driven by substantially higher levels of participation by black, Hispanic and Asian voters.
Pew Research Center

Obama Coverage:Too Personal but Not Too Favorable
Majorities Say Right Amount on Leadership and Policies
29 Apr 09Most Americans say the news media has devoted too much coverage to Barack Obama's family and personal life, but the right amount to his leadership style and policy proposals.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Media Metric: Obama's 100 Days of Press
More Positive Coverage than Clinton or Bush
28 Apr 09Obama is getting much more positive press coverage than Bush or Clinton. One reason is that he is getting good reviews in both front-page stories and editorials.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Support for Free Trade Recovers Despite Recession
28 Apr 09Despite the economic recession, support for free trade agreements is up by nine percentage points -- from 35% to 44% -- putting positive opinions of trade back in line with long-term trends. People in low-income families and Democrats are much more supportive of trade now than they were a year ago.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Faith in Flux
Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S.
27 Apr 09Americans change religious affiliation early and often. A new survey documents the fluidity of religious affiliation in the U.S. and describes in detail the patterns and reasons for change.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Tea Party Protests, Pirates & Puppies
24 Apr 09Unlike past weeks, social media looked a lot like the mainstream media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama at 100 Days: Strong Job Approval, Even Higher Personal Ratings
Better Ratings for Foreign Policy than Domestic Issues
23 Apr 09As he approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency, Barack Obama’s job approval ratings are higher than those of his most recent predecessors. However, the 44th president is even more distinguished by his strong personal popularity.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Luxury or Necessity? The Public Makes a U-Turn
23 Apr 09From the kitchen to the laundry room to the home entertainment center, Americans are paring down the list of familiar household appliances they say they can't live without.
Social & Demographic Trends

Fox News Stands Out as "Too Critical" of Obama
No One Network Singled Out as Too Easy
22 Apr 09Top newsmakers included an allegedly murderous Sunday school teacher, a highly placed dog, a startling new singing sensation and a retiring sportscaster.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Stock in Economic Story Drops
Tea Parties: Fox News vs. MSNBC
21 Apr 09As news about the economy gets modestly better the story is attracting less press than it did when things seemed more dire. "Tea parties" Rorschach test for media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Blogs, Not Press, Feature Gay Marriage Story
Same-Sex Marriage was No. 1 for Social Media but No. 15 for Traditional Media
17 Apr 09Bloggers devoted far more attention to same-sex marriage than any other story with most applauding the legislative gains for gay couples.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Most Now Say News Paints Mixed Economic Picture
Many Follow Somali Pirate Story
15 Apr 09Far more Republicans hearing at least some good economic news.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008
15 Apr 09Three-quarters (74%) of internet users went online during the 2008 election to take part in, or get news and information about the 2008 campaign. This represents 55% of the entire U.S. adult population.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Mexican Immigrants in the United States, 2008
15 Apr 09A record 12.7 million Mexican immigrants lived in the United States in 2008, a 17-fold increase since 1970. More than half (55%) are unauthorized.
Pew Hispanic Center

A Portrait of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States
14 Apr 09Unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. are more geographically dispersed than in the past and are more likely than either U.S.-born residents or legal immigrants to live in a household with a spouse and children. But the recent rapid growth in the undocumented immigrant labor force has come to a halt. The new report also includes population and labor force estimates for each state.
Pew Hispanic Center

Pirates Capture Media
14 Apr 09Press coverage of the economic meltdown hit a record low for the year last week. Pirate drama was the No. 1 story online, in network TV, radio news and cable news.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Blogs Ditch Recession Talk
April Fools' Joke No. 1 Online Story
10 Apr 09None of the top online stories registered in the top-10 list for the traditional media last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama's Trip Closely Followed
More Women Than Men Track Royal Visit
8 Apr 09Obama's trip to the G-20 summit got a good deal more attention than Bush's first international summit travel in 2001.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Partisan Bickering Is Back, Says Public
Obama's Ratings Hold Steady, Trip Well-Received
8 Apr 09Obama continues to inspire confidence on economic matters, as majorities believe his policies will both improve economic conditions (66%) and reduce the budget deficit over time (54%). There has been no improvement in the GOP's image.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Media Follow Obama, Economy to Europe
Michelle Obama Was the No. 2 Newsmaker of the Week
8 Apr 09The president's trip abroad gives an international flavor to a now familiar story.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Hispanics and the Criminal Justice System: Low Confidence, High Exposure
7 Apr 09Latino confidence in the U.S. criminal justice system is closer to the low levels expressed by blacks than the high levels expressed by whites.
Pew Hispanic Center

Blogs: Mixing Tough News with Escapism
3 Apr 09While pressing public policy dominated the blogs, the No.2 story online involved a secretly painted 60-foot image of a male body part.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Knows Basic Facts About Financial Crisis
More Know Unemployment Rate than Dow Average
2 Apr 09High percentages of Americans know that the government assistance to banks is aimed at getting them to lend more money, not less money and that China is the foreign country holding the most U.S. government debt. Notably, more Americans know the current unemployment rate than the current level of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Little Sign of Obama Fatigue
Republicans Say Press Too Easy; Dems, Independents Say Fair
2 Apr 09In contrast to the campaign, only a third say they are hearing too much about Obama. But there are wide partisan differences on perceptions of his media coverage.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Geithner's Plan: From Goat to Godsend
31 Mar 09AIG rage was replaced -- at least for a week -- by media praise for a previous economic "villain's" bank plan.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Rapid Growth and Changing Complexion of Suburban Public Schools
31 Mar 09Public school enrollment in the nation's suburbs has shot up by 3.4 million in the past decade and a half, with the primary driver of this trend being a near doubling of the Latino share of the student population.
Pew Hispanic Center

Online Journalists Optimistic About Revenue, Concerned About Quality
30 Mar 09Internet journalists see a revenue path on the web, but also say the internet is changing journalism mostly for the worse.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Blogs Can't Escape AIG
27 Mar 09Though new media often diverges from the traditional press, reaction to the AIG bonuses united the two.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

AIG Taxes Broadly Supported
Echoes of Dubai Ports Deal
25 Mar 09Most Americans found the media attention the AIG received appropriate and a majority supports Congress' response to tax the bonuses.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Americans Favor Carbon Cap, Gays in the Military and Renewing U.S.-Cuba Ties
Policy Update
25 Mar 09New polling finds public favors setting limits on carbon emissions, allowing gays to serve openly in the military and re-establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Internet Typology: The Mobile Difference
Wireless Connectivity Has Drawn Many Users More Deeply into Digital Life
25 Mar 09Glance at any coffee shop, train station or airport boarding gate, and it is easy to see that mobile access to the internet is taking root in our society. A new Pew Internet Typology study divides information and communication technology users into 10 groups ranging from the "Digital Collaborators" and "Media Movers" to "Tech Indifferent" and "Off the Network."
Pew Internet & American Life Project

For the Media, AIG Is All the Rage
24 Mar 09Last week, the narrative for a complex economic crisis got much simpler. The coverage focused on one corporate villain and one angry public.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

An End to Religion, Newspapers and the American Way of Life
20 Mar 09While the traditional press focused on economic villains, bloggers largely eschewed partisan squabbling and parsing of details for a more abstract and far-reaching discussion.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Most Support Health Care Overhaul -- But it’s Not 1993
Stable Views of Stem Cell Research
19 Mar 09While the public still favors government-guaranteed health insurance for all citizens, there is currently less support for rebuilding the system than there was at the beginning of the Clinton administration. Opinion about stem-cell research remains stable after lifting of the ban.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Sees More of a Mix of Good and Bad Economic News
Stewart-Cramer Registers Less than Rihanna-Chris Brown
18 Mar 09Though the economy remains the top story, more Americans say they heard a lot about the reports of Chris Brown abusing Rihanna than the dispute between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Media Match: Cramer vs. Stewart
17 Mar 09Press focus turned to the hunt for people or institutions embodying the excess that contributed to the financial system's unraveling.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama's Approval Rating Slips Amid Division Over Economic Proposals
GOP Congressional Leaders’ Ratings Hit New Low
16 Mar 09Most people think the new president is doing as much as he can to fix the economy, but the public expresses mixed views of his many major proposals to fix the economy. The public overwhelmingly supports Obama’s plan to remove most combat troops from Iraq by the end of August but a much narrower majority supports his planned troop buildup in Afghanistan.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Religion in the News: 2008
16 Mar 09Religion reporting in 2008 clustered around big events such as the pope's visit and stories tended to fade quickly from the headlines. Coverage gravitated toward controversies such as Obama's relationship with Jeremiah Wright and clergy sex-abuse scandals.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Project for Excellence in Journalism

State of the News Media 2009
An Annual Report on American Journalism
16 Mar 09Even before the recession, the fundamental question facing journalism was whether the news industry could win a race against the clock for survival. In the last year, two important things happened that have effectively shortened the time left on that clock. Some of the numbers are chilling.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Stop the Presses? Many Americans Wouldn't Care a Lot if Local Papers Folded
12 Mar 09Fewer than half say losing their local paper would hurt severely civic life; even fewer say they would miss reading it a lot.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Media Get on Dow Rollercoaster
Limbaugh No. 2 Newsmaker of the Week
10 Mar 09Last week marked the fourth time in four weeks that a different component of the economic crisis was the top storyline.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Divisions over Obama; Solidarity on OJ
6 Mar 09Those not arguing about the popularity of the president blogged to save an iconic brand.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

States' Budget Woes Register With Public
Republicans Increasingly Critical of Obama
5 Mar 09Interest in Obama’s speech to Congress was comparable to interest in Bush’s 2003 State of the Union, in which he made his case for war with Iraq.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obamanomics: No Deficit in Press
Endgame in Iraq Not Big News
4 Mar 09A developing media meta narrative focused on the president's high stakes overhaul of domestic priorities implicit in his budget proposals.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Facebook About-Face
27 Feb 09While the economy dominated conversation online, a good many bloggers focused on a policy change made and then withdrawn at Facebook, a demonstration of the power of social media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Many Say Government on Right Track on Economy
Some Harsh Words for Wall Street
26 Feb 09An increasing number of Americans say the government's action on the economy is on the right track.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Supply & Demand: Crisis Eclipses All Other News
24 Feb 09With the stimulus passed, the media moved to other economic horror stories: foreclosures, the auto industry and bailouts.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

It's Time to Link to the Muppets
20 Feb 09While the economy was far and away the most discussed topic online, many sought refuge in Kermit, Fozzie and other Jim Henson creations.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

On the Economy, Bad News Better Than No News
Stimulus Passage Tops News Coverage and Interest
19 Feb 09Americans overwhelmingly feel better knowing what's going on even if it's bad news, but significantly more now say that reports about the economy have some good sides.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama Faces Familiar Divisions Over Anti-Terror Policies
No Change in Views of Torture, Warrantless Wiretaps
18 Feb 09Obama receives positive ratings for his handling of terrorism but the public remains deeply divided over how best to defend the nation against the threat.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Rising Share: Hispanics and Federal Crime
18 Feb 09Sharp growth in illegal immigration and increased enforcement of immigration laws have dramatically altered the ethnic composition of offenders sentenced in federal courts.
Pew Hispanic Center

Press Pivot: Vote and Polls Change Tone
18 Feb 09Obama may not control the message, but he still controls the agenda.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Stimulating Debate Online
13 Feb 09New and old media diverged on their stimulus package coverage, with many pundits in the traditional press debating political impact and new media types advocating for or against the package.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Jobs Worries Climb the Economic Ladder
More Workers Anticipate Pay Cuts, Layoffs
12 Feb 09For the public, the continuing financial crisis has been overtaken by a jobs crisis; the proportion citing jobs or unemployment as the nation’s most important economic problem has more than quadrupled to 42% since early October and concern about job loss has climbed steeply among affluent Americans.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Immigrant Latino Unemployment Rises Sharply
12 Feb 09Job loss data reveal a rapidly worsening situation for foreign-born Hispanics, native-born Hispanics and blacks in the labor market.
Pew Hispanic Center

Twitterpated: Mobile Americans Increasingly Take to Tweeting
12 Feb 09About one-in-ten online U.S. adults now use Twitter or a similar 'micro-blogging' service that allows them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Stimulus News Seen as More Negative Than Positive
Too Much Coverage of Phelps, Octuplets
11 Feb 09Most Americans are following the debate over the stimulus package closely but many want to hear more information on the specifics of the proposals.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The New Face of Washington's Press Corps
As Mainstream Media Decline, Niche and Foreign Outlets Grow
11 Feb 09The corps of journalists covering Washington D.C. at the dawn of the Obama administration is not so much smaller as it is dramatically transformed. And that transformation will markedly alter what Americans know and not know about the new government, as well as who will know it and who will not.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The First 10 or So Days
10 Feb 09Less than three weeks into the new administration, many among the media talking-heads were declaring it a failure, one asking if it was the roughest debut in recent presidential history.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

McDonald's and Starbucks: 43% Yin, 35% Yang
10 Feb 09In the smackdown between Big Macs and caffe lattes, Americans manage to typecast themselves by just about every demographic and ideological characteristic under the sun.
Social & Demographic Trends

Support for Stimulus Plan Slips, But Obama Rides High
92% View Obama as Good Communicator
9 Feb 09Although support for the economic stimulus package has weakened over the last month, President Obama's personal image is extremely strong with fully 92% of the public rating him a good communicator. And the belief that Obama represents a break from politics as usual is widespread, despite the highly partisan reaction to his economic stimulus proposal.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Blogs an Outlet for Economic Outrage
6 Feb 09Story of zombie road sign competes with politics and economic news on web.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Policy Issues Overshadow Personal Stories in Obama's First Weeks
Broad Public Awareness of Coming Digital TV Transition
4 Feb 09The public focused much more on President Obama’s stimulus plans than on his successful bid to keep his Blackberry. Also, fully eight-in-ten say they have heard a lot about the coming switch to digital TV.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Darwin Debated: Religion vs. Evolution
4 Feb 09Two hundred years after Charles Darwin’s birth, and 150 years after he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Americans are still fighting over evolution. If anything, the controversy has recently grown in both size and intensity. In a multi-part package, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life explores the many facets of the debate as it has evolved from its origins to the present day.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Reality Bites: Economy Fouls Mood
4 Feb 09Almost as unprecedented as the historic coverage of Obama's inauguration was the media's quick pivot to questioning the efficacy of his stimulus package, political clout and pledge of bipartisanship.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Bloggers Ponder Every Aspect of Obama's Inauguration
30 Jan 09From the preparations to the swearing-in to the music, President Barack Obama’s inauguration was by far and away the dominant subject debated and dissected by bloggers, user news sites and other social media last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

For Nearly Half of America, Grass Is Greener Somewhere Else
Denver Tops List of Favorite Cities
29 Jan 09Where would Americans most like to live -- and how do they feel about the place they currently call home?
Social & Demographic Trends

Inauguration Outdraws Interest in Economy
Public Says Media Fair in Obama Coverage
28 Jan 09
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Inaugural Week: Heavy Media Focus Turns from Symbols to Substance
28 Jan 09Thanks to nearly non-stop coverage of an historic inauguration, the new Obama administration dominated the agenda. The leading storyline was the pomp and circumstance of the inauguration itself. But that was a multi-layered narrative that involved everything from the logistics of handling two million spectators to the extensive analysis of his address.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Plane Crash Draws as Much Interest as Economy
23 Jan 09Among domestic airline and train accidents of recent years, only one -- the deadly crash of TWA flight 800 off the coast of New York in 1996 -- attracted significantly greater public interest than the dramatic emergency landing of US Airways flight 1549 in New York’s Hudson River.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

On Obama's Desk: Economy, Jobs Trump All Other Policy Priorities
Environment, Immigration, Health Care Slip Down the List
22 Jan 09While it is not unusual for Americans to prioritize domestic over foreign policy, a new survey finds strengthening the economy and improving the job situation are higher priorities today than they have been at any point over the past decade, and the recent upward trend has been steep.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Stimulating Broadband: If Obama Builds It, Will They Log on?
21 Jan 09Investment in broadband has become part of the broader discussion about President Obama's economic stimulus package; Pew Internet Project surveys suggest that expanding access may take longer than some advocates anticipate.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Economy Is a Tough Subject for the Nation's Public Schools
21 Jan 09States traditionally have been reluctant to cut school funding during hard times, but in the current severe downturn schools are not immune.
Special to the Pew Research Center

Obama Cabinet Appointees Highly Visible
Unemployment Figures Draw Broad Attention
15 Jan 09Much of the increased awareness of the president-elect’s high-level personnel selections has to do with his choice of Hillary Clinton to serve as secretary of state.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Hispanics and the New Administration: Immigration Slips as a Priority
15 Jan 09Latinos, who heavily supported Obama in the November election, rate such issues as the economy, health care and education as the more important issues facing the country. Hispanics were more likely to be first time voters than the general public.
Pew Hispanic Center

Strong Confidence in Obama -- Country Seen as Less Politically Divided
America's Pre-Inauguration Mood
15 Jan 09Public confidence in Barack Obama to deal with the nation's most pressing problems is high and many Americans not only see the president-elect as a problem-solver, but as a "uniter" as well.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Social Networks Grow: Friending Mom and Dad
14 Jan 09The share of adult internet users who have a profile on a social networking site has more than quadrupled in the past four years.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Media Shift from War to Washington
13 Jan 09Even as the fighting in Gaza continued to generate major coverage, the storyline shifted back to the daunting tasks confronting incoming President Barack Obama.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Modest Backing for Israel in Gaza Crisis; No Desire for Greater U.S. Role
No Desire for Greater U.S. Role in Resolving Conflict
13 Jan 09Americans have a mixed view of the war in Gaza, and see it in much the same way as they viewed Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah in 2006. As in the past, Americans express strong support for Israel, but there is limited approval of the current military action. However, Hamas is largely seen as primarily responsible for the outbreak of violence.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Hispanics and the Economic Downturn: Housing Woes and Remittance Cuts
8 Jan 09Latinos, especially the foreign-born, are feeling the sting of the economic downturn and, in some respects, even more so than the general population.
Pew Hispanic Center

Mideast Competes With Economy and Obama for Public Interest
Press Viewed as ‘Fair’ to Bush and Obama
8 Jan 09Public interest in the Middle East conflict is on par with other recent foreign news stories, but is lower than in the Israel-Hezbollah war in August 2006. A slightly greater percentage say the media have not been critical enough of Hamas than say the same about coverage of Israel (30% vs. 25%, respectively).
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

War in Gaza Quickly Shifts News
Media Themselves Became Another Front in Middle East War
7 Jan 09A bloody new chapter in the Israel/Palestinian conflict dramatically shifted the news agenda from domestic to foreign crises, dominating media attention in an otherwise crowded week of news.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Gains Seen On Minority Discrimination -- But Little Else
Americans Assess Progress on National Problems
7 Jan 09As Obama prepares to take office, majorities say the country is losing ground on many key issues, especially economic ones.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

From BarackObama.com to Change.gov
Those Active in the Obama Campaign Expect to be Involved in Promoting the Administration
30 Dec 08A new survey finds that voters expect that the level of public engagement they experienced with Obama during the campaign, much of it occurring online, will continue into the early period of his new administration.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Internet Overtakes Newspapers as News Outlet
23 Dec 08The internet, which emerged this year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as a main source for national and international news. While the 2008 presidential campaign attracted high levels of public attention, the economy was the top story of the year in terms of news interest, according to Pew’s Weekly News Interest Index. In late September, as the nation’s financial crisis deepened, 70% said they were following news about the economy very closely. That ranks among the highest levels of news interest for any story in the past two decades.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Christmas Present -- No Story Eats the News
23 Dec 08As 2008 draws to a close, last week’s media’s attention was divided more than at any point this year. The economy and Barack Obama’s transition were still among the top stories. But scandals involving the Illinois Governor and a world-famous financial figure, along with the continuing struggles of the U.S. auto industry, also competed for coverage.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Religious Makeup of Congress
19 Dec 08Although a majority of the members of the new, 111th Congress are Protestants, Congress -- like the nation as a whole -- is much more religiously diverse than it was 50 years ago.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Bush and Public Opinion
Reviewing the Bush Years and the Public's Final Verdict
18 Dec 08Just 11% say Bush will be remembered as an outstanding or above average president -- by far the lowest positive end-of-term rating for any of the past four presidents. Yet Bush's impact on public opinion over the past eight years is seen in ways that go well beyond his personal unpopularity.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Blagojevich Arrest Grabs Public Attention
18 Dec 08Only the congressional check bouncing scandal of 1992 -- in which members of Congress were investigated for overdrawing their office checking accounts -- and the initial Clinton-Lewinsky allegations in 1998 rated higher in terms of public interest than the Blagojevich bribery charges.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

American Mobility: Movers, Stayers, Places and Reasons
17 Dec 08Americans are settling down: Only 13% of the U.S. population changed residences between 2006 and 2007, the lowest share since the 1940s. A new Pew Research Center survey looks at the reasons people move and stay put, and explains why 23% of adults aren't living in the place they consider home. Also, an interactive set of maps with detailed regional and state data shows that Texas is the nation's "stickiest" state and Nevada is the most "magnetic." Visit the maps to find stats on all 50 states.
Social & Demographic Trends

Hillary’s New Job Better Known than Dow Jones Average
Public Affairs Knowledge Update
15 Dec 08While just about everyone knows Obama's new secretary of state, fewer than half were generally aware of where the Dow is trading these days. A new Pew News IQ survey provides an updated look at the public's knowledge of political and world affairs. Test your own knowledge of current affairs against that of the broader public before you read the report.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Latino Workers in the Ongoing Recession: 2007 to 2008
15 Dec 08The current recession has seen a small but significant decline in the percentage of Latino immigrants active in the U.S. labor force; however, the absolute number of immigrant Latinos working or seeking work still increased slightly over the last year.
Pew Hispanic Center

Future of the Internet III: How the Experts See It
14 Dec 08A survey of internet leaders and analysts finds they expect the phone to become a primary device for online access, artificial and virtual reality to become more embedded in everyday life, and the architecture of the internet itself to improve. But they disagree about whether this will lead to more social tolerance or better home lives.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Bearish Outlook Fuels Consumer Cutbacks
11 Dec 08Nearly six-in-ten who say they are cutting back or delaying purchases report they are doing so because they worry things might get worse. Fewer than one in four say they are cutting back because their own financial situation has worsened. Lower fuel and food costs do not appear to have had a positive impact on the public so far.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Good News for the Administration
Economic News Dominates Coverage and Interest
11 Dec 08A majority of Americans says news stories about the incoming administration are mostly positive. Republicans are hearing more mixed reports.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

News of Obama’s Team Linked with Mounting Challenges They’ll Face
9 Dec 08With desperate automakers asking Congress for $34 billion, Barack Obama unveiling key Cabinet members, and the U.S. scrambling to ease tensions between India and Pakistan, the three top storylines in the news intertwined last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Video Games: Adults are Players Too
7 Dec 08Video games aren’t just child’s play; more than half of adults and about a quarter of seniors are digital gamers too.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Americans Claim to Like Diverse Communities but Do They Really?
2 Dec 08People express pro-diversity attitudes to pollsters but U.S. neighborhoods have grown more politically and economically homogenous in recent decades, according to analyses of election returns and U.S. Census data.
Social & Demographic Trends

Watching the White House Take Shape
Michelle Obama Coverage Seen as Positive
25 Nov 08The economy is still No. 1 in news interest, but Americans are also paying close attention to Obama’s cabinet and staff selections. While less attention has been paid to personal matters -- like the first family’s new puppy -- news about Michelle Obama is now seen by the public as mostly positive, a sharp contrast to the perceived negativity over the summer.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Shifting Gears: Auto Bailouts and the Obama Transition Lead the News
25 Nov 08Although no other media stories came close to rivaling the economy’s troubles and the emerging face of the incoming administration, one other story drew sensational coverage: piracy on the high seas.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

How the Media Cover Health
24 Nov 08At a time when health care is a major public policy issue, a new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Project for Excellence in Journalism examines the extent to which health news has been a part of the national news agenda including coverage of the 2008 presidential primary campaign.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

How the Media Covered Religion
Obama Gets Most Coverage, Much of It on False Rumor He Is a Muslim
20 Nov 08Religion played a much more significant role in press treatment of Obama than of McCain during the 2008 campaign, but much of the coverage related to false yet persistent rumors that Obama is a Muslim.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Detroit’s Troubles Driving Attention to Economy, Bailout Opposition Rises
Diminishing Support for Government Bailout Plan
20 Nov 08With the presidential election behind them, Americans have turned their attention back to the nation’s economy, though nearly half say they feel angry when seeing or hearing such reports.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

When Technology Fails
16 Nov 08Need help in setting up that new computer? Feel frustrated when your cellphone acts up? According to a new Pew Internet Project survey, you are far from alone.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

High Marks for Campaign, High Bar for Obama
13 Nov 08A week after the election, voters are feeling good about themselves, the presidential campaign and Barack Obama. Looking ahead, they have high expectations for the Obama administration, with two-thirds predicting that he will have a successful first term.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Few Will Miss Campaign News
Public's Favorite -- and Least Favorite -- Campaign Journalists
12 Nov 08The 2008 campaign set records for interest and will long be remembered (in fact, 23% of Americans are saving a post-election newspaper), but fully 82% of Americans will have no problem taking election news out of their lives. Also, Bill O’Reilly comes in as American’s favorite -- and least favorite -- campaign commentator.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Election Weekend News Interest Hits 20-Year High
Top Events of Campaign 2008
6 Nov 08Fully 60% of voters followed campaign news very closely this weekend, the highest level of interest on the eve of an election since the Pew Research Center began tracking campaign news interest in 1988. Throughout the campaign, Americans said they were hearing more about Obama than about McCain, although analysis shows news coverage became closely balanced between the two candidates.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama Leads McCain 52% to 46% in Campaign's Final Days
McCain Narrows Gap
2 Nov 08The Pew Research Center's final pre-election poll of 2,587 likely voters finds 49% supporting or leaning to Obama, 42% for McCain; 2% for minor party candidates and 7% undecided. When the undecided vote is allocated, Obama holds a 52% to 46% lead over McCain. The survey was conducted from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Palin Fatigue Now Rivals Obama Fatigue
SNL Appearance, Wardrobe Flap Register Widely
30 Oct 08Sarah Palin's new wardrobe caught the public's eye but media coverage focused far more on the presidential candidates. Still, more Americans say they've been hearing too much about Palin than say they've heard too much about Obama.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

McCain Support Continues Downward Spiral
Obama Leads by 19 Among Those Who Have Already Voted
28 Oct 08A breakdown of voting intentions by demographic groups shows that since mid- September, McCain's support has declined significantly across most voting blocs.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Liberal Democrats Top Conservative Republicans in Donations, Activism
More Than a Quarter of Voters Read Political Blogs
23 Oct 08With less than two weeks to go before Election Day, voters remain riveted to the presidential campaign. But liberal Democrats are engaging in far more activism than other partisan and ideological groups.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Latinos Account for Half of U.S. Population Growth Since 2000
23 Oct 08A new Pew Hispanic Center report analyzes changes in Latino growth and settlement patterns over the past three decades. The report includes a series of interactive maps and data bases that provide demographic information about the Latino population in each of the nation's 50 states and 3,141 counties.
Pew Hispanic Center

Most Voters Say News Media Wants Obama to Win
"Joe the Plumber" a Top Campaign Story
22 Oct 08By a margin of 70%-9%, voters say most journalists want to see Obama, not McCain, win on Nov. 4. Since 1992, voters have consistently believed the media favor the Democratic candidate, but this year's margin is especially wide.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Canvassing Campaign Media: An Analysis of Time, Tone and Topics
22 Oct 08Coverage of the presidential race has not so much cast Obama in a favorable light as it has portrayed McCain in a substantially negative one, according to a new study of the media.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Doubts Grow About McCain's Judgment, Age and Campaign
Obama's Lead Widens: 52%-38%
21 Oct 08Obama is inspiring more confidence on several key issues, including Iraq and terrorism, than he did before the debates, and his margin over McCain as the candidate best able to improve economic conditions has grown.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Networked Families
19 Oct 08Parents and spouses are using the internet and cell phones to create a "new connectedness" that builds on remote connections and shared internet experiences.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Campaign Seen As Increasingly Negative
McCain Ads Seen as Less Truthful
16 Oct 08The campaign received more media coverage than the financial crisis for the first time in a month, but nearly two-thirds of Americans (63%) list either economic conditions or the stock market drop as the single news story they followed more closely than any other last week.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Worried But Not Panicked About Economy
Obama Clearer than McCain in Addressing Crisis, Holds Sizeable Lead in Matchup
15 Oct 08Americans are concerned about the nation’s economic problems and they register the lowest level of national satisfaction ever measured in a Pew survey. But there is little indication that the nation’s financial crisis has triggered public panic or despair.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Beat the Press: Many Say Press has Been Too Tough on Sarah Palin
Positive Ratings for Coverage of Financial Crisis
9 Oct 08While strong majorities feel the press has been fair to John McCain, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as many people say the press has been too tough on the governor of Alaska (38%) as say it has been fair (38%). Republicans overwhelmingly believe the press has been too hard on Palin (63%).
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Economic Bailout: Public Remains Closely Divided Overall, but Partisan Support Shifts
6 Oct 08The relative stability in the overall numbers obscures considerable movement in public opinion about the package recently passed by Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Post-Debate: Palin Still Seen as Unqualified, a Bump for Biden
6 Oct 08Impressions of Sarah Palin have changed little since her debate with Joe Biden according to a special re-interview of voters this weekend, but opinions of Joe Biden rose substantially.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Non-Citizen Immigrant Households Suffer Sharp Decline in Income, 2006-2007
2 Oct 08The current economic slowdown has taken a far greater toll on households headed by non-citizens than it has on the U.S. population as a whole, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of new Census data.
Pew Hispanic Center

Undocumented Immigration Now Trails Legal Inflow, Reversing Decade-Long Trend
2 Oct 08Estimates now show that the unauthorized immigrant population grew more slowly from 2005 to 2008 than it did earlier in the decade, although its size has increased by more than 40% since 2000, and now constitutes 4% of the total U.S. population.
Pew Hispanic Center

Interest in Economic News Surges
VP Debate Highly Anticipated
1 Oct 08Attention to news about the economy skyrocketed last week, with 70% of Americans following developments very closely, up from 56% the previous week. Interest in the campaign also saw a new high for the cycle, and more Americans (64%) say they are very likely to watch the VP debate than said so about last week’s presidential debate (58%).
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama Boosts Leadership Image and Gains Significant Lead Over McCain
Growing Concerns About Palin's Qualifications
1 Oct 08The Illinois senator, helped by the debate, has been able to erase concerns about his ability to lead, to widen his advantage on economic issues and to move to a significant lead in swing states. There has been a broad-based decline in the number of voters who view Palin as qualified to become president.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Small Plurality Backs Bailout Plan
Support Declines as Anger Runs High
30 Sep 08There is little partisan difference in views of the overall plan. Republicans, however, are less concerned about protecting homeowners although they are not particularly worried about excessive government involvement in the nation's financial markets.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

McCain's Image Falls as Economic Worries Rise; Public Awaits Debate
25 Sep 08Independents' views of McCain have become significantly less favorable in the last few days, but they still expect him to win the coming foreign policy debate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Women Call the Shots at Home; Public Mixed on Gender Roles in Jobs
Gender and Power
25 Sep 08They say it's a man's world, but in the typical American family, it's the woman who wears the pantsuit. Still, Americans retain strong traditional gender preferences with respect to some job roles. To find out where you fit, take our Couples Quiz, then read the report on the findings of the national survey.
Social & Demographic Trends

Networked Workers
Most Use Email, but Say Technology is a Mixed Blessing
24 Sep 08More than six in ten workers now use the internet or email on the job, but many find technology a mixed blessing.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Support for Global Engagement Declines
Even as Optimism About Iraq Surges
24 Sep 08The public's top long-term foreign policy goals are decidedly America-centric. Defending the country against terrorism, protecting U.S. jobs, and weaning the country from imported energy all draw extensive bipartisan support.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Most Approve of Wall Street Bailout and See Obama as Better Able to Address Crisis
Interest in the Economy Highest in Nearly 20 Years
23 Sep 08With public interest in the economy at a 20-year high, by a margin of almost two-to-one Americans think the government is doing the right thing in investing billions of dollars to try to keep financial institutions and markets secure.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Views of Palin Fluid as Spotlight Remains on GOP Ticket
Public Sees Obama Ads Getting More Negative
18 Sep 08Sarah Palin continued to be a dominant factor in presidential campaign coverage last week, but her impact on the race remains unclear and her public image is very much in flux.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

McCain Gains on Issues, But Stalls as Candidate of Change
Presidential Race Remains Even
18 Sep 08The race remains close as enthusiasm for McCain increases among GOP base. Somewhat more swing voters (46%) say their greater concern is that McCain will govern too much like President Bush, rather than that Obama lacks experience (37%).
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Hispanics See Their Situation in U.S. Deteriorating
Large Majorities Oppose Most Key Immigration Enforcement Measures
18 Sep 08Increasingly widespread pessimism among Hispanics, as well as their strong opposition to federal enforcement policies, could well have consequences in the political arena.
Pew Hispanic Center

Unfavorable Views of Both Jews and Muslims Increase in Europe
17 Sep 08Publics that view Jews unfavorably also tend to see Muslims in a negative light. However, the trend in negative views toward Muslims in Europe has occurred over a longer period of time than recently growing anti-Semitic sentiment.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Teens, Video Games and Civics
16 Sep 08The first nationally representative study of teen video game play and civic engagement looks at which teens are playing what games, the equipment they use, the social context of their play, and the role of parents and parental monitoring.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

JohnMcCain.com v. BarackObama.com
15 Sep 08With roughly seven weeks left until Election Day, which candidate has the edge online, and how so? A new study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism finds both campaigns' official sites are now quite advanced.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Revisiting the Mommy Wars After Palin: Politics, Gender and Parenthood
15 Sep 08A new Pew survey, like others before it, found Republicans far more troubled than Democrats by the long term trend toward mothers of young children working outside the home. But these surveys were conducted before Sarah Palin entered the political scene. The especially enthusiatic initial reponse to her vice presidential candidacy contrasts sharply with these findings.
Social & Demographic Trends

Cloud Computing Gains in Currency
Online Americans Increasingly Access Data and Applications Stored in Cyberspace
12 Sep 08More and more online Americans are accessing data and applications, such as email and photos, that are stored in cyberspace.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

McCain's Image Improves - With Big Assist From Palin
Palin Press Coverage: Fair and Important
10 Sep 08While the GOP ticket leader's speech received only modest reviews, his running mate's address was viewed as the highlight of the Republican convention and helped boost McCain's public image overall. However, many in the public still question Palin's qualifications.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

After Busy Week, Views of Both Candidates Improve
High Marks for Obama's Speech
3 Sep 08As attention to the campaign increased substantially last week, the images of both Barack Obama and John McCain improved. Reviews of Obama's acceptance speech were overwhelmingly positive. Among those who could rate it, nearly half (48%) rated the speech excellent and another 36% rated it good.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Background Better Known Than His Issue Positions
Biden Pick a Top Campaign Event
27 Aug 08As Obama accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for president in Denver, more than six-in-ten Americans say they know a lot or a fair amount about his background, but only about half are familiar with his policies.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

One-in-Five and Growing Fast: A Profile of Hispanic Public School Students
26 Aug 08The number of Latino students in public schools nearly doubled from 1990 to 2006, accounting for 60% of the total growth in school enrollments. Projections now show there will be more school-age Hispanic children than school-age non-Hispanic white children by 2050.
Pew Hispanic Center

The Media's Olympics
25 Aug 08The Olympic Games trailed only the presidential race for media attention during their two-week run. There was little competition over who was the star of the show: Michael Phelps' coverage dwarfed all other American athletes.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Men or Women: Who's the Better Leader?
A Paradox in Public Attitudes
25 Aug 08Americans believe women have the right stuff to be political leaders. When it comes to honesty, intelligence and other traits they value highly in leaders, the public rates women superior to men. But only 6% say women make better political leaders than men. A new Pew survey explores this paradox.
Social & Demographic Trends

Party Time: Democrats Primed To Tune Into Convention
21 Aug 08More Americans are interested in following the Democratic Convention (59%) than the Republican Convention (48%). An overwhelming majority of Democrats (79%) plan to follow their party’s convention. However, those who favored Hillary Clinton express only modest interest in Obama’s speech and strong interest in her address.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Support Falls for Religion’s Role in Politics
Some Social Conservative Disillusionment
21 Aug 08A new Pew Research survey finds a decline in the share of Americans who want churches and other houses of worship to be involved in political matters. Most of the drop in the past four years has come among political conservatives.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Tracking the Economic Slowdown
18 Aug 08The slowing economy has replaced Iraq as the second most intensely covered story so far in 2008 according to a new study of media content. However, it still trails far behind the presidential campaign.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Key News Audiences Now Blend Online and Traditional Sources
Audience Segments in a Changing News Environment
17 Aug 08For more than a decade, audiences for most traditional news sources have steadily declined and the number of people getting news online has surged. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press’ biannual media study also finds that a growing number of news consumers mix both old and new sources. The report presents a typology that breaks Americans into four groups: Integrators, Net-Newsers, Traditionalists and the Disengaged.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

China Olympics Earn American Attention, Approval
Scant Attention to War in Georgia
14 Aug 08Most say they are watching at least some of the Olympic coverage and the share saying it was a good decision to hold the games in China has risen 11 points to a 52% majority. Americans also remain optimistic that by the end of the games, the U.S. will have won more gold medals than any other country.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Presidential Race Draws Even
GOP Base Getting Behind McCain
13 Aug 08With fewer than two weeks to go before the start of the presidential nominating conventions, McCain has solidified his support among Republicans and white evangelicals, especially in the South, while Obama lags in attracting Clinton supporters.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Hispanics and Health Care in the United States: Access, Information and Knowledge
A Joint Pew Hispanic Center and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Research Report
13 Aug 08A Pew Hispanic Center/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study finds that more than one-fourth of Hispanic adults in the U.S. lack a usual health care provider, but when asked about why that is so, a plurality (41%) say the principal reason is that they are seldom sick.
Pew Hispanic Center

Search Soars, Challenging Email as a Favorite Internet Activity
6 Aug 08The percentage of internet users who use search engines on a typical day has been steadily rising from about one-third of all users in 2002, to a new high of just under one-half (49%).
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Obama Fatigue - 48% Hearing Too Much About Him
McCain's Ads Seen As Negative, Obama's as Positive
6 Aug 08While John McCain closed the gap in campaign news coverage last week, Barack Obama still enjoyed much more visibility in the eye of the public. But 48% say they've heard too much about the Democratic nominee and a plurality say they've heard too little about his opponent.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Trip a Top Campaign Event for Public
42% Say Campaign Coverage Biased in Favor of Obama
31 Jul 08Despite a high level of public attention to the Democratic candidate's weeklong tour abroad, most said they learned very little of his foreign policy views as a result of the trip.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Inflation Staggers Public but Economy Still Seen As Fixable
31 Jul 08Beyond widespread anxiety about energy costs, a growing number of Americans say it is difficult for them to afford food. Yet most are confident that even in an era of global economic interdependence the federal government is capable of fixing the economy
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Democrats Highly Critical of New Yorker Cover, Republicans Say It Was Okay
Public Closely Tracking Business News
24 Jul 08Fully four-in-ten Americans heard a lot about a satirical cartoon on the cover of the New Yorker magazine. A majority of those who saw it found it offensive (54%) and few found it funny (27%).
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Latinos Overwhelmingly Support Obama and Democrats in 2008
Obama is doing better among Hispanics who supported Clinton than he is among non-Hispanic white Clinton supporters.
24 Jul 08A new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds the presumptive Democratic nominee now has a strong lead among Hispanics, a sharp reversal from the primaries when Obama lost the Latino vote to Hillary Clinton by a nearly two-to-one ratio.
Pew Hispanic Center

The Chinese Celebrate Their Roaring Economy As They Struggle With Its Costs
Optimism About Beijing Olympics Is Nearly Universal
22 Jul 08
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Changing Newsroom: Gains and Losses in Today's Papers
21 Jul 08It has fewer pages than three years ago, the paper stock is thinner, and the stories are shorter. There is less foreign and national news, less space devoted to science, the arts, features and a range of specialized subjects. These are just some of the changes documented in a new report by the Project for Excellence in Journalism that examines the resources in American newsrooms at a critical time.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Candidates' Policy Positions Still Not Widely Known
16 Jul 08Despite extensive media attention to the presidential campaign, relatively few Americans are familiar with either Obama's or McCain's foreign and domestic policy positions.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Faith Factor in the Media's Primary Campaign Coverage
10 Jul 08Despite attention to Obama's former pastor, questions about McCain's relationship with the conservative religious base, interest in Romney's Mormon faith and Baptist preacher Huckabee's strong showing, only 2% of campaign stories directly focused on religion; still that was more than the attention devoted to race and gender combined.
Project for Excellence in Journalism and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Likely Rise In Voter Turnout Bodes Well For Democrats
Obama's Support is More Committed than McCain's but Many Remain Undecided
10 Jul 08Even with a partisan enthusiasm gap, voter interest is already as high as in November of recent elections, two trends that may significantly alter the composition of the eventual electorate in the Democrats' favor. The proportion of swing voters is also up compared with four years ago. Nearly half of independents (47%) are undecided or may change their minds, up from 28% in June 2004.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

McCain's Interest Gap
9 Jul 08While Obama and McCain received similar levels of media coverage, Obama remained by far the most visible candidate. Only 11% of Americans cited McCain as the candidate they had heard the most about, while more than seven-in-ten (71%) named Obama.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Home Broadband Adoption 2008
Adoption Stalls For Low-Income Americans Even As Many Broadband Users Opt For Premium Services
2 Jul 08Even as many broadband users opt for premium services, access stalls among low-income Americans
Pew Internet & American Life Project

For Public, Oil Prices and Economic News Overshadow Campaign
McCain Remains Much Less Visible than Obama
2 Jul 08Last week marked the largest partisan gap in campaign interest since the start of the presidential race in early 2007. Democrats were almost twice as likely as Republicans to say they followed the campaign very closely (52% vs. 28%).
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Gas Prices Pump Up Support for Drilling
Support for Conservation and Environmental Protection Declines, More Favor Drilling in ANWR
1 Jul 08Americans are giving higher priority to more energy exploration, rather than more conservation; concern about the environment fades as support for ANWR drilling rises.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Explaining the English Language Learner Achievement Gap
26 Jun 08A new analysis finds that lagging scores of students designated as English language learners can be partly explained by their concentration in low-performing schools.
Pew Hispanic Center

Interest in Floods Increases, Still Lower than for '93 Deluge
Government's Response to Floods Faulted
25 Jun 08The public is largely satisfied with the amount of media coverage the Midwest floods have received, but there is much less satisfaction with the federal government's response to the disaster.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Religion in America: Non-Dogmatic, Diverse and Politically Relevant
Religious Beliefs & Practices / Social & Political Views: Report 2
23 Jun 08The second major report on the U.S. religious landscape finds that most Americans do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. This openness to other religious viewpoints is in line with the nation's great diversity of affiliation, belief and practice as documented in a survey of more than 35,000 Americans.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Gas Prices Dominate the Public's Economic News Agenda
Fewer Following Midwest Floods than in 1993
19 Jun 08As economic news continues to register at an almost record level with the public, no other issue gets close to the level of attention accorded the price of oil and gas. Fully 72% of Americans say it is the economic or fiscal problem they've heard the most about.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Coverage Turns To Issues
18 Jun 08In a relatively light week of campaign coverage, attention focused on policy differences. Still, a fair amount of attention was also paid to some controversies and gaffes.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

More Hear Negative News About Michelle Obama Than Cindy McCain
Coverage of the Candidates’ Wives
18 Jun 08While opinions about both potential First Ladies are mostly positive, Mrs. Obama has emerged as a more high profile and controversial spouse than Mrs. McCain.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

More See America's Loss Of Global Respect As Major Problem
A majority of Republicans now say U.S. is less respected, up 12 points since August 2006
16 Jun 08Seven-in-ten Americans -- now including a majority of Republicans -- see the loss of international respect for the nation as a major problem.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Politics Goes Viral Online
15 Jun 08Already in this campaign season, more Americans -- 46% -- have gone online to get political news and campaign information than in all of 2004.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Global Economic Gloom -- China and India Notable Exceptions
But Many Publics Expect U.S. Foreign Policy to Improve Under Next President
12 Jun 08Although views of the U.S. remain negative, and many now worry about the US economy's impact on their nations, the U.S.'s favorable ratings have increased modestly since 2007 in 10 of 21 countries with comparative data. People around the world are following the U.S. election closely - and in most places surveyed, express greater confidence in Obama than in McCain.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Most Americans See a Black Nominee as Important for Country
Partisan and Racial Divisions Over Significance of Obama's Win
11 Jun 08A solid majority say the nomination of an African American for president is important to the country, but racial and partisan divisions exist on the significance of Obama’s historical achievement.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Many Say Coverage is Biased in Favor of Obama
Primary Wrapup: Even As Obama Controversies Widely Registered
5 Jun 08More of the public heard about controversies related to Obama than other campaign events. Even so, far more Americans believe press coverage has favored him than think it has favored Clinton.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Latino Labor Report, 2008: Construction Reverses Job Growth for Latinos
4 Jun 08The slump in the construction industry has taken a heavy toll on Latino workers. From a historic low in late 2006, the unemployment rate for Latinos rose sharply in 2007 and currently stands well above the rate for non-Latinos. Immigrant Latino workers have been hit especially hard.
Pew Hispanic Center

Democratic Party's Favorables Rise, Congress Still Unpopular
Conservatives' Ratings of GOP Slip
3 Jun 08While opinion of the Republican Party (39% favorable) remains at a historic low, favorable views of the Democratic Party have risen to 57%. Attitudes toward the Democratic-led Congress, however, remain very negative.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Hispanics in the 2008 Election: Puerto Rico
29 May 08On Sunday, Puerto Rico holds one of the final Democratic primary contests. A new Pew Hispanic Center fact sheet provides key demographic information on eligible voters in Puerto Rico and compares them with eligible Latino voters and all eligible voters in the U.S.
Pew Hispanic Center

Character and the Primaries of 2008
What Were the Media Master Narratives about the Candidates During the Primary Season?
29 May 08A new analysis of media coverage during the first ten weeks of the 2008 primary season finds the dominant personal narratives about Obama and Clinton were almost identical in tone, and were both twice as positive as negative. The coverage of McCain's character was less positive than that of either Democratic candidate.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

In Tight General Election, McCain's Negatives Mostly Political, Obama's More Personal
Clinton Backers Cool to Obama - White Female Support in Question
29 May 08While Obama has opened up a wide lead in the Democratic primary, he now runs about even against McCain. The tightening general election shows some sullying of Obama's personal image over the past three months, which is in some measure a negative reaction from frustrated Clinton supporters. McCain's image has also become more negative since February, however, unlike Obama, those who disapprove cite his political beliefs.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Greater Coverage of McCain, But Public Still Focused on Obama
Most Expect Gas Prices To Reach $5 a Gallon or More
28 May 08Fully half of the public said Obama was the candidate they had heard the most about in the news, while only 8% said the same of McCain despite a significant increase in news coverage of his candidacy.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Cable's Constant Campaign Coverage Out of Sync With Public News Interest
22 May 08While much of the public focused on international events, cable news focused on the campaign almost to the exclusion of other top news stories. Also, though well covered, awareness of John Edwards' endorsement of Obama was relatively low.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Research Roundup: Latest Findings on Cell Phones and Polling
22 May 08The Pew Research Center has been studying the challenge to survey research posed by the growing number of wireless-only households. Here's a summary of its latest findings.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Online Mall: How People Do - and Don't - Use the Internet in Making Purchasing Decisions
18 May 08A new Pew Internet Project study finds that going online helps people sort through product choices, but it is not the place where people usually close the deal for housing, cell phones or even music.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Public Says Press Should Not Declare Obama the Winner
14 May 08Fully 72% of the public - including comparable percentages of Democrats, Republicans and independents - say that journalists should not be anointing Obama as the Democratic nominee at this stage in the race.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

In the Public Eye: Who's Up (Al Gore) And Who's Down (Oprah Winfrey)
14 May 08Since endorsing Obama, the talk show host's popularity has fallen among Republicans while the former vice president now rivals Obama and tops Clinton in favorability.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Federal Government's Favorables Fall Even Farther
14 May 08Americans continue to hold their local and state governments in fairly high esteem, but positive views of the federal government are at their lowest point in at least a decade.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Handguns: Public Rejects a Ban -- but Supports Controls
14 May 08Nearly three-quarters of Republicans (73%) oppose a ban on handgun sales, a view shared by 59% of independents and just half of Democrats.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Statistical Portrait of Hispanic Women in the U.S.
8 May 08Annual 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 Hispanic. These and other interesting data are included in a new Pew Hispanic Center fact sheet.
Pew Hispanic Center

Pocketbooks Top Politics
8 May 08The 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.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Daily Show: Journalism, Satire or Just Laughs?
8 May 08An examination of whether America’s 4th-ranked journalist, Jon Stewart, is really the host of a news program.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

An Increase in GOP Doubt About Global Warming Deepens Partisan Divide
8 May 08The proportion of Americans who say that the earth is getting warmer has decreased modestly since January 2007, mostly because of a decline among Republicans.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Pope's Visit Draws Heavy Media Coverage
6 May 08The 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.
Project for Excellence in Journalism and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Pope Benedict's Image Improves Following U.S. Visit
6 May 08Currently, 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.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Democratic Campaign Taking a Toll on Both Obama and Clinton
McCain Stays Under the Radar
1 May 08In 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.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Lead Over Clinton Disappears; Unfavorables Rise for Both Candidates
More Democrats See Unresolved Contest As Problem for Party
1 May 08Barack 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.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

More Americans View Campaign As Too Negative
Obama's "Bitter" Comment Registers Widely
24 Apr 08Barack Obama's 'bitter' comment registered widely but just 29% of Americans say they paid very close attention to news about the presidential campaign last week, the lowest percentage recorded since December 2007.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Writing, Technology and Teens
24 Apr 08Most teenagers spend a considerable amount of their life composing texts, but they don’t regard most of the material they create electronically as real writing. Does e-communication help – or hurt – students’ writing skills?
Pew Internet & American Life Project

How Different Are People Who Don’t Respond to Pollsters?
21 Apr 08Survey research firms face increasingly high non-completion rates. Analysis based on extra efforts to reach non-responders finds few differences between the responses of the easy- and hard-to-reach.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Less News is Good News for McCain
49% Say Network News Anchors Are All About the Same
17 Apr 08While McCain has been consistently less visible to the public, far more Americans say the news they have been hearing about him is generally positive than say the same about coverage of Obama or Clinton.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
10 Apr 08The controversy ignited by the Massachusetts High Court ruling allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry continues to rage in state courts and legislatures as well as in churches across the nation.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Campaign News Interest Dips
Awareness of U.S. War Fatalities Rebounds
10 Apr 08With the campaign in a lull, interest, which had consistently surpassed previous presidential contests, is now comparable to the level measured in April 2004.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life
9 Apr 08A new Pew Social Trends study finds that fewer Americans now than at any time in the past half century believe they're moving forward in life. But at the same time, two-thirds say they have a higher standard of living than their parents had.
Social & Demographic Trends

Most Americans Unfamiliar with Petraeus, Rice Remains Popular
4 Apr 08On the eve of his congressional testimony on Iraq, a solid majority (55%) says they do not know enough about the top U.S. commander in Iraq to offer an opinion of him. Sec. of State Rice's favorability (56%) remains relatively unchanged since March 2005.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Clinton Controversy Heavily Covered but Obama Maintains Visibility Edge
Many Say Economic Reporting Too Negative
3 Apr 08While her Bosnia flap made Clinton the newsmaker of the week, she continues to lag behind Obama in terms of public visibility. Both candidates, despite recent negative news, have seen little change in their favorability.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

On Eve Of Visit, Pope Benedict Still Unknown to Many Americans
Pontiff's Outreach to Other Religions Draws Mixed Reactions
3 Apr 08A new poll finds 30% of Americans know little about the pontiff. The pope's efforts to reach out to other faiths receive mixed reviews overall but strong support among observant Catholics.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Dismal Views of the National Economy : It's the Inflation, Stupid
27 Mar 08Public satisfaction with the state of the nation is about as low as it has been in 20 years of Pew polling; but optimism about the future rises somewhat.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama Weathers the Wright Storm, Clinton Faces Credibility Problem
27 Mar 08Obama's personal image remains more favorable than Clinton's - and he retains a 10-point advantage over her in the race for the nomination. But certain beliefs and attitudes among older, white, working-class Democrats are associated with his lower levels of support among this group.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama Speech on Race Arguably Biggest Event of Campaign
27 Mar 08Fully 85% of Americans say they heard about Obama's speech, and 70% have heard more about him in the last week than any other candidate. The impact of events on Obama's image appears to be mixed.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Political Water Cooler Conversation Features Ferraro, Rev. Wright
Spitzer Scandal: Heavy Coverage, Moderate Interest
20 Mar 08Not only are Americans closely following news about Obama's preacher and Clinton surrogates, but an overwhelming majority (84%) are talking about the campaign with family and friends.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Still Faults Government Care for Troops
19 Mar 08A year after problems at Walter Reed and other military hospitals made major news, Americans see no improvement in treatment of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

State of the News Media 2008
17 Mar 08The Project for Excellence in Journalism's annual report finds that the current crisis in journalism may be less the loss of audience than the decoupling of news and advertising. On the upside, some news organizations have become places of risk and innovation with growing connection with audiences.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Financial Woes Overshadow All Other Concerns For Journalists
17 Mar 08A new survey of national and local reporters, producers, editors and executives finds soaring economic woes eclipse traditional worries about quality of coverage and credibility.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Project for Excellence in Journalism

Rumors and Red Phones Capture The Public's Political Attention
38% Have Heard a Lot about "Obama's a Muslim" Rumors
13 Mar 08Americans are paying close attention to all aspects of the election this year, but the most widely recognized item involves rumors that Obama is a Muslim.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Awareness of Iraq War Fatalities Plummets
Political Knowledge Update
12 Mar 08Public awareness of the number of American military killed in Iraq has declined sharply since last August along with news coverage of the war. A new Pew News IQ survey provides an updated look at the public's knowledge of political and world affairs.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Sees Fair Fight
6 Mar 08Every week since November, 2007, the most covered news story has been the election, and the public has taken notice. Almost half of Americans (47%) listed it as the single news story they were following more closely than any other, up from 10% last November.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Mixed Signals on Energy Policy
Public Less Enthusiastic About Ethanol Research, Divided on ANWR and Nuclear, But Highly Supportive of Tighter Auto Fuel Standards
6 Mar 08The public remains conflicted in its approach toward energy and the environment, but 55% favor more conservation and regulation compared with 35% who support expanded exploration. Fully 90% favor tighter auto fuel standards.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Info on the Go: Mobile Access to Data and Information
62% of all Americans are part of a wireless, mobile population
5 Mar 08A new Pew Internet survey finds that 62% of all U.S. adults are now part of a wireless, mobile population.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Obama Has the Lead, but Potential Problems Too
Public's Attitudes Toward Progress in Iraq Turn More Favorable
28 Feb 08Obama has moved out to a broad-based advantage over Clinton in the national Democratic primary contest. Public attitudes about the war in Iraq have turned more positive, a favorable development for McCain.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

NY Times' McCain Story Draws Public Interest - And Disapproval
Beef Recall and Failing Satellite Attract Attention
27 Feb 08By a nearly two-to-one margin those familiar with the Times' article on the Arizona senator's ties to a lobbyist think the paper was wrong to publish it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey Reveals a Fluid and Diverse Pattern of Faith
25 Feb 08A new survey including interviews with more than 35,000 Americans finds that more than one-quarter of adults (28%) have left the faith in which they were raised in favor of another religion -- or no religion at all.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Campaign Seen as Less Negative than 2004 Contest
Gore, Edwards Endorsements Would Have Modest Impact
21 Feb 08The public remains highly engaged in the election, with no increase in campaign fatigue. Also, with the Democratic race still in question, a Gore endorsement would be more influential than one from Edwards.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Economic Discontent Deepens As Inflation Concerns Rise
Growing Rich-Poor Divide in Affording Necessities
14 Feb 08Public views of the U.S. economy, already quite negative, have plummeted since January. Just 17% currently rate the nation's economy as excellent or good, down from 26% last month.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Online Shopping: Convenient but Risky
13 Feb 08Two-thirds (66%) of online Americans have purchased a product online, but many worry about the safety of financial and personal data.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Obama Inspiring but Inexperienced, Clinton Prepared to Lead but "Hard to Like"
13 Feb 08While Democrats and independents who lean Democratic believe Clinton is prepared to lead, Obama has a clear lead on three positive campaign themes: inspiration, change, and honesty.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Immigration to Play Lead Role In Future U.S. Growth
U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050
11 Feb 08If current trends continue, immigrants arriving from 2005 to 2050 and their descendants will account for 82% of the population growth in the United States during this period, according to new projections from the Pew Research Center.
Pew Research Center

McCain’s Support Soars, Democratic Race Tightens
4 Feb 08Both Barack Obama and John McCain have gained considerable popularity in recent weeks with Obama’s gains concentrated among white, middle-income and moderate Democrats.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Portrait of the Latino Vote in Eight "Super Tuesday" States
1 Feb 08Hispanic voters could be crucial to the outcome of several of this week's primaries and caucuses. Here are fact sheets describing the socioeconomic characteristics of eligible Latino voters in each of the eight states with sizeable Hispanic populations.
Pew Hispanic Center

The Impact of "Cell-Onlys" on Public Opinion Polls
Ways of Coping with a Growing Population Segment
31 Jan 08A new Pew study finds that on key political measures such as presidential approval, Iraq policy, presidential primary voter preference and party affiliation, respondents reached on cell phones hold attitudes very similar to those reached on landline telephones.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Election-Year Economic Ratings Lowest Since '92
An Even More Partisan Agenda Greets Bush's Final State of the Union
24 Jan 08Republicans and Democrats agree the economy should be a top priority for the president and Congress, but they differ more than ever on the importance of other domestic issues -- such as global warming and health insurance for the uninsured.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Interest Surges in Economic News, Especially the Housing Crisis
24 Jan 08Public interest in economic news reached its highest level in five years. Interest was only somewhat greater during the recession of the early 1990s.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Arizona's Population Growth Parallels America's
Demography of the State's Population and Labor Force, 2000-2006
24 Jan 08How will Arizona's new law penalizing businesses for hiring unauthorized immigrants affect its labor force? The Pew Hispanic Center provides up-to-date estimates of the state's demographics as well as two other fact sheets analyzing the characteristics of the overall Latino population in the U.S. and of foreign-born immigrants of all origins.
Pew Hispanic Center

Laura Bush's Declining Favorability
Views of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Have Also Grown More Negative
24 Jan 08Laura Bush, once almost universally liked, has seen her favorability ratings slip over the past three years, especially among young adults. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has also fallen from favor.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

In GOP Primaries: Three Victors, Three Constituencies
Romney Gains Among Non-Evangelical Conservatives
16 Jan 08The Republican nomination contest is being increasingly shaped by ideology and religion, while the dynamics of the Democratic race are more heavily influenced by class, race and gender.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008
11 Jan 08The internet is living up to its potential as a major source for news about the presidential races. Nearly a quarter of Americans say they regularly learn something about the campaign from the internet, almost double the percentage at a comparable point in 2004.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Internet & American Life Project

Only Half of Public Can Name Both Iowa Winners, but Many Complain of Too Much Media Coverage
10 Jan 08In the wake of his Iowa victory, Barack Obama for the first time supplanted Hillary Clinton as the most visible presidential candidate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Online Video Audience Surges
9 Jan 08A new survey finds a sharp rise in the number of viewers of YouTube and other internet video sites over the past year. Nearly half of online adults now say they have visited such sites.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

The Public’s Not-So-Happy New Year
4 Jan 08Americans begin 2008 with a highly negative view of national conditions and President Bush, and with tempered expectations for the coming year. More Democrats look forward to elections, but Republicans are more optimistic about the year ahead.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

At the Start of the Primary Season, Republicans Run Neck and Neck Nationally, Clinton Clings to Solid Lead
2 Jan 08On the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Giuliani's once solid lead in nationwide polls has vanished; religion has become a larger factor for GOP voters as Huckabee has become better known. The Democratic contest remains largely stable nationwide despite close state races.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

In Search of Solutions: How People use the Internet, Libraries, and Government Agencies to Find Help
31 Dec 07A new survey challenges the assumption that libraries are no longer relevant, although the internet is now the most consulted information source.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Teen Content Creators
19 Dec 07Some 93% of teens use the internet, and more of them than ever are treating it as a venue for social interaction -- a place where they can share creations, tell stories, and interact with others.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Gas Prices, Disasters Top News Interest in 2007
19 Dec 07Man-made and natural disasters dominated the list of the public's top news stories in 2007 but, as was the case in 2006, the rising price of gasoline attracted the largest audience of any news story.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Iraq Portrait: How the Press Has Covered Events on the Ground
19 Dec 07Through the first 10 months of 2007, the news media's picture of Iraq was painted mostly in bleak colors. But reports about daily attacks declined in late summer and fall, as did the amount of coverage from Iraq overall.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Digital Footprints: Online Identity Management and Search in the Age of Transparency
16 Dec 07Unlike footprints left in the sand, our online data trails often stick around long after the tide has gone out. And internet users have become more aware of information that remains connected to their name online.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Oprah Boosts Obama's Visibility; Republicans Applaud Romney Speech
13 Dec 07Awareness of Winfrey's support for Obama was equally high across parties, genders and racial groups; leading GOP candidates still lag behind Obama and Clinton in public visibility.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Immigration Debate: Controversy Heats Up, Hispanics Feel a Chill
13 Dec 07The 2007 National Survey of Latinos finds that Hispanics in the U.S. are feeling a range of negative effects from increased public attention and stepped up enforcement measures.
Pew Hispanic Center

Health Problems, Priorities and Donors Worldwide
The Kaiser/Pew Global Health Survey
13 Dec 07A new survey compares the health priorities of people in developing nations with those of their governments and the international organizations that work in global health.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Courting of Iowa and New Hampshire: Many are Robo-Called but Fewer Are Listening
7 Dec 07Voters, especially Democrats, in two early primary states are being inundated with phone calls, mail and other campaign contacts; but so far there are few signs of campaign fatigue.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Third Quarter News: Terrorism, Tight Credit, and Tragedies
6 Dec 07The threat of terrorism, a real estate recession, and man-made disasters all emerged as major stories in the U.S. news media in the third quarter of 2007, according to a new study of press coverage by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?
6 Dec 07Earlier Republican Party gains among Latinos have dissipated in the past year, a new Pew Hispanic Center survey finds. Hispanics also comprise a sizable share of voters in four "swing states" that President Bush narrowly carried in 2004.
Pew Hispanic Center

Public Still Getting To Know Leading GOP Candidates
Many Republicans Unaware of Romney's Religion
5 Dec 07While 86% of the public can name Rudy Giuliani as the former NYC mayor, only about half as many correctly identified Mitt Romney as a Mormon and even fewer knew that he was a former Mass. governor.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

GOP Race Unsettled in Politically Diverse Early States
4 Dec 07Likely Republican voters in the three politically disparate early primary states express less enthusiasm about their field of presidential candidates, and many voice only modest support for their choices.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Clinton Pressed in Iowa, But Holds Solid Leads Elsewhere
3 Dec 07Democrats enter the presidential primary campaign upbeat about their candidates and united in their views on major issues. Sen. Hillary Clinton is the Democratic frontrunner in three key early primary states, holding a slim five-point edge in Iowa and more substantial 19-point and 14-point leads in New Hampshire and South Carolina, respectively.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

English Usage among Hispanics in the United States
29 Nov 07A new analysis of six Pew Hispanic Center surveys finds a dramatic increase in English-language ability from one generation of Hispanics to the next.
Pew Hispanic Center

Journalists in Iraq: A Survey of Reporters on the Front Lines
28 Nov 07Journalists covering Iraq -- mostly veteran war correspondents -- give their reporting a generally positive assessment but describe conditions there as the most perilous they have ever encountered.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Public Sees Progress in War Effort
27 Nov 07For the first time in a long time, nearly half of Americans express positive opinions about the situation in Iraq and judgments about the overall situation in Iraq have been improving steadily since the summer.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class
Optimism About Black Progress Declines
13 Nov 07African Americans see a widening gulf between the values of middle class and poor blacks, and nearly four-in-ten say that because of the diversity within their community, blacks can no longer be thought of as a single race, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Social & Demographic Trends

Iraq News: Less Dominant, Still Important
9 Nov 07Both media coverage of the conflict and public interest in it have fallen, but a growing number of Americans would like to see more war coverage, especially of U.S. troops and returning veterans.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Year Later: Public Dissatisfied With Democratic Leaders, But Still Happy They Won
7 Nov 07Republican leaders share blame for Congress's lack of productivity; Democrats holds 12-point advantage over GOP as better able to manage the federal government.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Year Ahead, Republicans Face Tough Political Terrain
31 Oct 07A year before the 2008 presidential election, most major national opinion trends decidedly favor the Democrats and discontent with the state of the nation is markedly greater than it was four years ago. Also, Republicans have become less likely to say that their party is doing a good job standing up for its traditional positions.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Invisible Primary - Invisible No Longer
A First Look at Coverage of the 2008 Presidential Campaign
29 Oct 07In the early months of the 2008 campaign, the media had essentially winnowed the race to a handful of candidates and offered Americans relatively little information about their records or what they would do if elected.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Between Here and There: How Attached Do Latino Immigrants Remain to Their Native Country?
25 Oct 07Most maintain some kind of connection to their native country, but only one-in-ten can be considered to be highly attached.
Pew Hispanic Center

Parents, Teens and Technology
24 Oct 07Family members tend to use the same kinds of gadgets, but teenagers find them more useful.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Modest Interest in 2008 Campaign News
Democratic Candidates Better Known, Even Among Republicans
23 Oct 07Many more Republicans are able to recall unprompted the names of Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama than can name Rudy Giuliani and other leading GOP candidates.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Economic Pessimism Grows as Nation's Real Estate Slump Hits Wealthy Areas
Republicans Less Upbeat About Economy and Housing Markets
11 Oct 07Public assessments of the nation's economy have fallen to a two-year low. Faced with a steady stream of negative news about the housing market, Americans are substantially less inclined than they were even a few months ago to say they expect home prices to rise over the next few years.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

E-patients with a Disability or Chronic Disease
9 Oct 07Just half of adults with chronic conditions use the internet; but once online, they are avid consumers of health information.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

World Publics Welcome Global Trade -- But Not Immigration
4 Oct 07A 47-nation survey finds broad support for the key tenets of economic globalization, including free trade, multinational corporations and free markets. Yet concerns exist about inequality, threats to traditional culture, threats to the environment and threats posed by immigration.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Public Expresses Mixed Views of Islam, Mormonism
Benedict XVI Viewed Favorably But Faulted on Religious Outreach
25 Sep 07The Muslim and Mormon religions have gained increasing national visibility in recent years. Yet most Americans say they know little or nothing about either religion's practices, and large majorities say that their own religion is very different from Islam and the Mormon religion. At the same time, overall evaluations of Mormons and Muslim Americans are on balance positive.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Political Knowledge Update
Most of the Public Is Familiar with Key Political and Iraq Facts
24 Sep 07Take our updated quiz about prominent people and major events in the news. Then see how you did in comparison with 1,005 randomly sampled adults asked the same questions in a recent national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Voters Assess the '08 Hopefuls: Clinton Seen as 'Tough,' Giuliani Viewed as 'Energetic'
20 Sep 07The public is no more engaged by the presidential campaign than in the spring, but the perceived strengths of some leading candidates are coming into focus.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Oprah Factor in Campaign '08
Do Political Endorsements Matter?
20 Sep 07Do political endorsements matter? Generally they have little impact on voter preferences, but there's no telling whether Oprah Winfrey can do for Obama what she has done for countless books and products.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Petraeus' Proposals Draw Public Approval, But Fail to Lift War Support
Increases in Optimism Are Mostly Limited to Republicans
18 Sep 07A new Pew survey finds most Americans (57%) approve of the general's recommendations for troop withdrawals, but just 16% say Petraeus' statements have made them more optimistic about the war, while 67% say their views were unchanged by the general's report.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The News You Choose
How User-Driven Content Differs from Mainstream Media
12 Sep 07In a world without journalists, or at least without editors, what would the news agenda look like? A one-week study of a new crop of user-driven news sites by the Project for Excellence in Journalism suggests that the news agenda would be more diverse, more transitory, and often drawn from a very different and perhaps controversial list of sources.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Religion in Campaign '08
Clinton and Guiliani Seen as Not Highly Religious; Romney's Religion Raises Concerns
6 Sep 07Religion is not currently proving to be a clear-cut positive in the 2008 presidential race. Candidates viewed by voters as the least religious are the current frontrunners for the Democratic and Republican nominations – Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, respectively. And the candidate seen as far and away the most religious – Mitt Romney – appears handicapped by this perception because of voter concerns about Mormonism.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Changing Racial and Ethnic Mix in U.S. Public Schools
White Students are Less Isolated but Blacks and Hispanics Are More So
30 Aug 07A new analysis of public school enrollment data by the Pew Hispanic Center finds that in the dozen years from 1993-94 to 2005-06, white students became significantly less isolated from minority students while, at the same time, black and Hispanic students became slightly more isolated from white students.
Pew Hispanic Center

Michael Vick Case Draws Large Audience
Opinions about Media Coverage Show Sharp Racial Divide
28 Aug 07The Atlanta Falcons quarterback's legal troubles were last week's most followed news. Opinions of media coverage of the story showed a sharp racial divide with blacks far more critical than whites.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Who Watches Wall Street?
Interest in the Stock Market Is Currently Relatively High, but Only a Minority of Americans Regularly Follows Financial News
23 Aug 07Interest in the stock market is currently relatively high, but only a minority of Americans regularly follows economic news unless, like gas and food prices, it hits directly on the average pocketbook.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Study in Contrasts: Clinton and Guiliani
Hillary Scores High with Democrats, Less So with the General Public; Rudy Has Broad Appeal but Weaker GOP Support
23 Aug 07Sen. Hillary Clinton is by far the most popular presidential candidate among her own party's voters, but among the general public, she has one of the lowest favorable ratings of the leading candidates. In sharp contrast, the front-running Republican candidate, Rudy Giuliani, evokes relatively modest enthusiasm from the GOP base, but is as broadly popular with all voters as any candidate in either party.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

1995-2005: Foreign-Born Latinos Make Progress on Wages
21 Aug 07Foreign-born Latino workers made notable progress between 1995 and 2005 when ranked by hourly wage. The proportion of foreign-born Latino workers in the lowest quintile of the wage distribution decreased to 36% from 42% while many workers moved into the middle quintiles.
Pew Hispanic Center

Presidential Campaign Overtakes Iraq as Media's Top Story
A Quarterly Report of the PEJ News Coverage Index
20 Aug 07The 2008 Presidential campaign -- with its crowded field and accelerated timetable -- emerged as the leading story in the American news media in the second quarter of 2007, supplanting the policy debate over Iraq.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Internet News Audience Highly Critical of News Organizations
Views of Press Values and Performance: 1985-2007
9 Aug 07Americans continue to fault news organizations for a number of perceived failures. Solid majorities criticize the news media for political bias, inaccuracy and failing to acknowledge mistakes. Some of the harshest indictments of the press come from the growing segment that relies on the internet as its main news source.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Small Audience For Murdoch's Dow Jones Deal, Few Expect Change
9 Aug 07A majority of Americans who are following the story of publisher Rupert Murdoch's purchase of the Wall Street Journal say the sale will have little or no impact on the quality of the newspaper.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Summer of Discontent with Washington
Clinton Widens Lead, Giuliani Slips
2 Aug 07All three branches of the federal government are under fire from the American public. Just 29% approve of President Bush's job performance while the proportion with a favorable view of Congress has declined 12 percentage points since January. Even favorable opinions of the U.S. Supreme Court have fallen, from 72% in January to 57% currently.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Blames Media for Too Much Celebrity Coverage
Cable and Network TV Worst Offenders
2 Aug 07An overwhelming majority of the public (87%) says celebrity scandals receive too much news coverage; and most who say celebrity news is over-covered blame the media -- not the public.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Hillary Clinton Most Visible Presidential Candidate
Republicans Say Campaign is Being Over-Covered
26 Jul 07Hillary Clinton leads all Democrats with 42% of the public saying they have heard the most about her in the news lately.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Online Videos Go Mainstream
Most Internet Users -- and Three-in-Four Young Adults -- Now Watch Them
25 Jul 07Widespread deployment of broadband and a dramatic promotion push by content providers has helped pave the way for mainstream audiences to adopt online video viewing.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

A Rising Tide Lifts Mood in the Developing World
Support for Suicide Bombing Drops Sharply in Muslim Countries
24 Jul 07Even in some countries where incomes are still low and life is tough, people tend to be happier with their lives -- if their economy is on the upswing. And, in Muslim countries, support for suicide bombing has declined sharply in recent years. Also, a commentary by Bruce Stokes analyzes factors contributing higher levels of happiness in many countries worldwide.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Latino Electorate: A Widening Gap between Voters and the Larger Hispanic Population in the U.S.
24 Jul 07Latinos made up a slightly larger share of the total voter turnout in the 2006 election than in 2002; but, a new Pew Hispanic analysis finds, the Latino vote continued to lag well behind growth of the Latino population primarily because a high percentage of the new Hispanics in the U.S. are either too young to vote or are not citizens.
Pew Hispanic Center

Who's Wild About Harry?
So Far, the Public Is More Interested in Buying the Book than in Reading about It
19 Jul 07The latest News Interest Index survey finds that, at least so far, most of the public isn't especially interested in news about the final installment in the Harry Potter series or the release of a new Potter movie; but an astounding number say they plan to buy Deathly Hallows when the book goes on sale on Saturday.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Muslim Americans Report: Arabic Translation of Summary
18 Jul 07An Arabic translation of the summary of Pew's report on Muslim Americans
Pew Research Center

Modern Marriage: "I Like Hugs. I Like Kisses. But What I Really Love is Help with the Dishes."
18 Jul 07What makes a marriage work? A new Pew survey finds that "sharing household chores" has moved way up on the charts.
Pew Research Center

Campaign Internet Videos: "Sopranos" Spoof vs. "Obama Girl"
Made for the Web but Viewed More on TV than Online
12 Jul 07They originate on the internet, but more people are viewing them on TV than online.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Fewer Mothers Prefer Full-time Work
From 1997 to 2007
12 Jul 07In the span of the past decade, full-time work outside the home has lost some of its appeal to mothers. This trend holds for both those who have such jobs and those who don't.
Pew Research Center

Press Praised for Coverage of China's Product Problem
News Interest Survey Also Finds Public Mostly Relied on Traditional Media to Deliver the iPhone Message
6 Jul 07Most in public call news about safety issues involving Chinese imports accurate and appropriate in amount. Traditional media are also the main source of news about the latest in hi-tech communications: the iPhone.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact
Generation Gap in Values, Behaviors
1 Jul 07At a time when nearly four-in-ten births in this country are to an unmarried mother, the public says unwed parenting is a big problem for society. But Americans are far less inclined now than a generation ago to say children are important to a successful marriage, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Pew Research Center

Iraq Dominates News Landscape in First Half of 2007
Second String Stories Ranged from Politics and Crime to Pet Food and Celebrities, but the Public Stayed Tuned to Casualties and Troop Levels
29 Jun 07So far, the war in Iraq has eclipsed most other 2007news stories. Second string stories ranged from politics and crime to pet food and celebrities, but the public stayed primarily tuned to casualties and troop levels.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Mean Teens Online: Forget Sticks and Stones, They've Got Mail
Older Girls and Social Networkers Are Most Likely Targets of Harassment via the Internet
27 Jun 07Forget sticks and stones, today's teenagers have got the web at their command and about a third of those online tell a new Pew Internet survey that they have been targets of annoying and potentially menacing online activities.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Global Unease with Major World Powers and Leaders
47-Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey Finds Rising Environmental Concerns
27 Jun 07A new survey finds continuing anti-American sentiment and significant slippage in China's image among the publics of other major nations. Concern about environmental degradation as a major threat to the planet has increased substantially in 20 of 35 countries for which trends are available.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Missing in Action: News Coverage of Private Contract Forces in Iraq
Limited, Intermittent Reporting Leaves a Major Story of the War Largely Uncovered
21 Jun 07Extensive reliance in the Iraq conflict on military forces hired by private firms is a significant new element in 21St Century warfare. But what does the American public know about this phenomenon?
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Why Change the Channel?
Network News is All the Same, Cable Networks Are More Distinct
20 Jun 07For most of the public, broadcast network news is all the same. Not so cable news: Nearly half the public sees real differences among CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Mixed Grades for a Federal Education Law
No Child Left Behind Builds No Consensus Among the Public About Either Its Strong or Weak Points
13 Jun 07As Congress prepares to debate reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, Americans express mixed views about the nation's signature education law. Among those who have heard about the law, 34% say it has made schools better; 26% say it has made them worse; and 32% say it has had no impact.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Mixed Views on Immigration Bill
Democratic Leaders Face Growing Disapproval, Criticism on Iraq
7 Jun 07The public is ambivalent about the immigration bill being debated in the Senate, but a majority favors one of its key goals - providing a way for illegal aliens to become citizens. The public supports such a provision even when it is described as "amnesty," a new Pew survey finds.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

How Far Behind in Math and Reading are English Language Learners?
6 Jun 07As Congress considers reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, a new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of national standardized tests shows that the one-in-ten public school students designated as "English language learners" lag far behind whites in reading and math.
Pew Hispanic Center

Thompson Demonstrates Broad Potential Appeal
Bush Approval Falls to 29% -- Lowest Ever
5 Jun 07A new Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey finds broad potential appeal among Republicans for the all-but-announced candidacy of former Sen. Fred Thompson; meantime President Bush's approval rating has sunk to an all-time low of 29%.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Political Divide in Views of Campaign Coverage
Public Wants More Coverage on Issues, Less on Fundraising
1 Jun 07About half the public believes that press coverage of 2008 presidential candidates has been fair, but there are partisan differences in these evaluations. A plurality of Republicans say the press has been too easy on Democratic candidates.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Slower Flow from Mexico?
Indicators Suggest a Recent Slowing of Migration across the U.S. Border
30 May 07While short-term changes in immigration flows are difficult to measure, several indicators suggest a possible slackening in migration across the U.S. border since mid-2006.
Pew Hispanic Center

Gas Prices Grab the Public's Attention
Interest in News about Inflation at the Pump Goes Beyond Just Knowing Where to Find the Cheapest Gallon
30 May 07Interest in news about inflation at the pump goes beyond learning where to find the cheapest gallon and extends to impacts on the national economy.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Quarter's Worth of News Coverage
Project for Excellence in Journalism's Analysis Finds Iraq War Coverage Mostly about the U.S., 2008 Presidential Campaign Coverage Mostly about Democrats
25 May 07Three-month review of media finds Iraq coverage was mostly about the U.S., while 2008 campaign coverage was mostly about Democrats.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Adjusting to a Diet of Spam
23 May 07As more of the stuff finds its way into Americans' personal and workplace email accounts, internet users find it easier to digest.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Growing Up With the News
Most Parents Encourage Teenagers to Follow Current Events, Though Younger Children Are Often Shielded
23 May 07In an era when war, tragedy and scandal often dominate the headlines, America's parents are more likely to encourage children to follow the news than they are to shield them from it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream
22 May 07The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.
Pew Research Center

Who's Watching American Idol?
Relatively Few Worship Regularly at the Top TV Show's Altar
17 May 07In spite of the fact that the show has topped the television ratings throughout the season, as American Idol Season 6 comes to a close the latest news interest survey finds three-quarters of the public paying little or no attention to it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Chows Down on Pet Food Recall
Only Iraq War Leads in News Interest; Queen and Tenet Lag Far Behind
9 May 07The recall of more than 100 brands of pet food due to possible contamination was the second most closely followed news story last week. Only events in Iraq attracted more public interest.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Typology of Information and Communication Technology Users
7 May 07The advent of Web 2.0 invites users to participate in the commons of cyberspace. Yet little is known about which segments of the population are inclined to make robust use of the new technologies and which aren't. Using data from a new survey, the Pew Internet & American Life project has developed a typology of people's relationship to information and communications technology.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Motherhood Today: Tougher Challenges, Less Success
Mom's Biggest Critics are Middle-Aged Women
2 May 07From managing busy schedules to dealing with outside influences, mothers have their hands full these days - and middle-aged women are their sharpest critics. At the same time, fully 70% of the public says it's harder to be a mother today than it was 20 or 30 years ago; somewhat fewer (60%) say the same about being a father.
Social & Demographic Trends

Campaign '08: Analysis of Key Voter Groups
Solid Majority Favors Troop Withdrawal, But Both Sides Reject Compromise over Iraq Funding
26 Apr 07Who's most inspiring? Who's most electable? Find out how liberals and conservatives, war supporters and opponents and other segments of the electorate rate the presidential candidates. Also, a solid majority of the public favors troop withdrawal, but both sides reject compromise over Iraq funding.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Blacksburg Tragedy Draws Close Public Attention, but Less Than Columbine Did Eight Years Ago
25 Apr 07Fully 45% of Americans paid very close attention to the Va. Tech shootings but more than two-thirds of Americans (68%) paid very close attention to the Columbine incident in 1999.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Changing Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion
25 Apr 07Hispanics are altering the profile of American religion by their growing numbers and by their distinctive practice of Christianity. A new study by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life also finds Latinos' influence on U.S. politics and public affairs is strongly affected by the particular characteristics of their faith.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and Pew Hispanic Center

Wikipedia: When in Doubt, Multitudes Seek It Out
The online, citizen-generated encyclopedia is especially popular among the well-educated and the college-aged
24 Apr 07The online, citizen-generated encyclopedia draws more visitors on a typical day than internet shopping, dating, travel booking, chat rooms or auctions -- especially among the well-educated and college-aged.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Va. Tech Shootings Produce Little Boost for Gun Control
Public Also Divided About Causes of Massacre
23 Apr 07Six-in-ten Americans say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 32% give priority to protecting Americans' right to own guns. But a 55% majority opposes a ban on the sale of handguns.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Events in Iraq Top Don Imus in News Interest
18 Apr 07The war in Iraq continued to attract broad public attention, despite drawing far less news coverage than the Imus flap. Overall, 26% of Americans cited the war as the story they followed most closely, compared with 20% who followed the Imus story most closely.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Teens, Privacy & Online Social Networks
Managing online identities and personal information in the age of MySpace
18 Apr 07A new survey and a series of focus groups, conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, study teens' online management of their personal information on social networking websites. The study suggests that internet life poses some potential risks for online teens, e.g. 32% (and 43% of social-networking teens) have been contacted by complete strangers.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Iraq Tops News Interest - and Anna Holds Her Own
Despite Media Focus on British Hostages in Iran, War News Draws More Public Attention and Ms. Smith's Autopsy Scores Big
5 Apr 07While the media focused more on British sailors held in Iran and the US attorneys scandal, news from Iraq remains the public's clear priority. The core Anna Nicole Smith audience remains as large as in February, despite far more limited press coverage.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

News Leaks Remain Divisive, but Libby Case Has Little Impact
Unauthorized Disclosures to Media Seen as Motivated More by Personal than Political Reasons
5 Apr 07Attitudes towards news leaks are virtually the same now as in 1986, with the public about evenly split between those who say leaks serve the public interest and those who say they harm it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Democrats Fail to Impress in First 100 Days
Post-Walter Reed, Government Faulted on Vets' Care, Military Ratings Slip
29 Mar 07As the Democratic-led Congress approaches the 100-day mark, pluralities approve of House Speaker Pelosi's and Senate Majority Leader Reid's leadership. But Democrats get mixed reviews on campaign promises and policies and proposals.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Growing Share of Immigrants Choosing Naturalization
28 Mar 07Today's legal immigrants are signing on to a closer relationship with Uncle Sam more quickly and at higher rates than was the case a decade or two ago.
Pew Hispanic Center

Solid Majority Favors Congressional Troop Deadline
Some rise in optimism about current Iraq situation, but only 36% think surge will work in the long-run
26 Mar 0740% now say the situation in Iraq is going fairly or very well but nearly six in ten want their representative to vote for a withdrawal deadline and only 36% think the U.S. troop buildup will work.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Trends in Attitudes Toward Religion and Social Issues: 1987-2007
22 Mar 07As the '08 elections approach, what are the views of Republicans, Democrats and the general public on "social values" issues? And how have they changed over time?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007
Political Landscape More Favorable To Democrats
22 Mar 07Increased public support for the social safety net, signs of growing public concern about income inequality, and a diminished appetite for assertive national security policies have improved the political landscape for the Democrats as the 2008 presidential campaign gets underway.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Latinos Online
They're a lot less likely to use the internet, but lower education levels and limited English ability largely explain the gap between Hispanics and non-Hispanics in the U.S.
14 Mar 07A new joint report from the Pew Hispanic Center and the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that low levels of education and limited English ability largely explain the gap in internet use between Hispanics and non-Hispanics living in the U.S.
Pew Internet & American Life Project and Pew Hispanic Center

State of the American News Media, 2007: Mainstream Media Go Niche
Project for Excellence in Journalism Report Finds Every TV News Component Losing Audience
12 Mar 07The Project for Excellence in Journalism's fourth annual report finds every sector of TV news lost audience in 2006. Newspapers, while garnering larger audiences for their content via online platforms, faced more downbeat financial assessments.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Top Journalists Less Widely Admired Than 20 Years Ago
Fragmented Media Diminishes Prominence of Stars
8 Mar 07Only a slim majority can now name the journalist they admire most and the preferences are scattered across the networks, cable news channels, public television and even Comedy Central.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Anna Nicole Audience Praises Press Coverage
1 Mar 07Even though most Americans (61%) think Anna Nicole Smith's death has been over-covered, the press gets high marks from that portion of the public (more than a third) who are following the story closely. Two-thirds of this group rate the coverage as good or excellent – better marks than the press receives from the audiences of any of the other top stories of the past week. This is in line with poll findings about previous tabloid stories: their core audiences think the press does a great job of covering them.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The World of Wireless Widens
A Third of Internet Users Now Opt for "Relentless Connectivity"
26 Feb 07Some 34% of internet users have logged onto the internet using a wireless connection. Users of wireless access show deeper engagement with cyberspace -- at least when focusing on two basic online activities, email and news.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Voters Remain In Neutral As Presidential Campaign Moves Into High Gear
Republicans Lag in Engagement and Enthusiasm for Candidates
23 Feb 07Latest Pew poll finds Republicans lagging Democrats in attention to the race and enthusiasm for candidates. Clinton is Democrats' strongest choice but Obama leads among independents; Giuliani tops McCain in popularity among Republicans and independents.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why
22 Feb 07Just under half of Americans say most people can be trusted, while 50% say you can't be too careful, a new Pew survey finds. Whites are more trusting than blacks or Hispanics. High income folks are more trusting than those with low incomes. The married are more trusting than the unmarried. The old are more trusting than the young. And rural folks are more trusting than their city cousins.
Pew Research Center

Too Much Anna Nicole, But the Saga Attracts an Audience
Pew Launches Weekly News Interest Index
16 Feb 07Comparisons between Pew's new gauge of public interest in the week's news and the PEJ's News Coverage Index find the public and the press often in agreement about the most important news stories.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

War Support Slips, Fewer See Positive Outcome
New Poll Also Finds Growing Pessimism about Deficit, Rich-Poor Gap
15 Feb 07Two-thirds of the public now says that the U.S. military effort in Iraq is not going well, reflecting a sharp increase in the last year. And most say the country is also losing ground in problem areas from the federal budget to corruption to the environment.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

What Americans Pay For - and How
'Information Age' Bills Keep Piling Up
7 Feb 07Bill-paying is a different experience now than it was a generation ago. A sizable minority of adults pay by click. And a sizable majority pay each month for one or more of the big three Information Age staples that didn't exist or were in their infancy a few decades back -- cell phones, internet service and cable and satellite television.
Pew Research Center

We Try Hard. We Fall Short. Americans Assess Their Saving Habits
24 Jan 07Despite a negative national savings rate, three-in-four Americans still think of themselves as savers. But a majority also acknowledge they don't save enough, according to a new Pew survey.
Pew Research Center

Global Warming: A Divide on Causes and Solutions
Public Views Unchanged by Unusual Weather
24 Jan 07New poll finds continuing broad agreement that the earth is getting hotter, but few rate the phenomenon a top priority for action.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Broad Support for Political Compromise in Washington
But Many Are Hesitant to Yield on Contentious Issues
22 Jan 07A large majority of the American public thinks the country is more politically polarized than in the past, and an even greater number expresses a strong desire for political compromise. Fully three-quarters say they like political leaders who are willing to compromise, compared with 21% who see this as a negative trait.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Most Oppose President Bush's New Iraq Plan
But New Poll Finds Surging GOP Support for a Troop Surge
16 Jan 07President Bush's plan to send roughly 21,000 additional troops to Iraq has drawn broad opposition from the American public. If anything, the plan has triggered increased partisan polarization on the debate over what to do in Iraq.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Portrait of "Generation Next"
How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics
9 Jan 07A new generation has come of age, shaped by an unprecedented revolution in technology and dramatic events both at home and abroad. They are Generation Next, the cohort of young adults who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Most Americans Moderately Upbeat About Family Finances in 2007
4 Jan 07Most Americans are moderately upbeat about their family's financial prospects in the coming year, with 57% expecting some improvement in their financial situation and another 10% expecting a lot of improvement, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Pew Research Center

Free Trade Agreements Get a Mixed Review
51% Say U.S. Has Responsibility to "Do Something" in Darfur
19 Dec 06The American public continues to have a mixed opinion about free trade agreements such as NAFTA and the WTO. On balance they are seen as a good thing for the country, but Americans are divided over the impact of free trade agreements on their own personal financial situations.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Luxury or Necessity?
Things We Can't Live Without: The List Has Grown in the Past Decade
14 Dec 06As Americans navigate increasingly crowded lives, the number of things they say they can't live without has multiplied in the past decade, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that asks whether a broad array of everyday consumer products are luxuries or necessities.
Pew Research Center

Public to '08 Contenders - It's Too Early
Favorable Ratings Are Mixed for Pelosi, Reid
14 Dec 06Politicians and political reporters are scrambling to book flights for New Hampshire and other presidential primary states, but the public is far from engaged in the jockeying for 2008.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Baker-Hamilton Report Evokes Modest Public Interest
Growing Number Sees Iraq Becoming 'Another Vietnam'
12 Dec 06The public has grown more negative about the situation in Iraq and President Bush's handling of the war. Half of Americans now believe the war in Iraq will turn out to be another Vietnam, while just a third think that the U.S. will accomplish its goals there.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

As Home Prices Cool Down, Homeowners Temper Their Optimism
6 Dec 06Despite a record drop this past year in the median sales price of existing homes, more than eight-in-ten homeowners expect the value of their homes to go up either "a little" (55%) or "a lot" (26%) in the future. However, these anticipated levels of future gains are not nearly as great as the gains that homeowners say they've experienced in recent years.
Pew Research Center

It's Time for Holiday Shopping. Do You Have Your Budget?
20 Nov 06A majority of Americans say they set a budget limit for their holiday shopping; 56% have already set or plan to set a limit while 41% say they don't use a budget limit for holiday shopping.
Pew Research Center

Seeking Science in Cyberspace
A Pew Internet/Exploratorium project finds wide use of the internet by science seekers
20 Nov 06A Pew Internet/Exploratorium project finds nearly 9-in-10 online users have researched a scientific topic or concept on the internet. Nearly three quarters (71%) of internet users say they turn to the internet for science news and information because it is convenient.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Public Cheers Democratic Victory
Expectations as High as for GOP in 1994
16 Nov 06The Democrats' big win on Nov. 7 has gotten a highly favorable response from the public. In fact, initial reactions to the Democratic victory are as positive as they were to the GOP's electoral sweep of Congress a dozen years ago.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Republicans Cut Democratic Lead in Campaign's Final Days
Democrats Hold 47%-43% Lead Among Likely Voters
5 Nov 06A nationwide Pew survey finds that the midterm election campaign has tightened considerably in the campaign's final week. Among likely voters, 47% say they plan to vote for a Democratic congressional candidate on Tuesday and 43% say they plan to vote for a Republican.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Seeking Health Online
Most of the millions of Americans who turn to the web for health information are pleased by what they find - though few check the quality check of what they find
1 Nov 06Most of the millions of Americans who turn to the web for health information are pleased by what they find -- though few check the quality of the information.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Lack of Competition in Elections Fails to Stir Public
Most Have Heard Little or Nothing about Redistricting Debate
27 Oct 06The concern among some politicians and political experts over the lack of competitiveness in U.S. elections is generally not shared by the public. Moreover, voters appear to lack a clear sense of whether the elections in their own House districts are competitive or not.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Democrats Hold Double-Digit Lead in Competitive Districts
GOP Troubles Extend into Home Territory
26 Oct 06The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that Iraq continues to be the dominant issue for voters. More than four-in-ten voters (45%) view the situation in Iraq as the most important, or second most important issue in their vote, the highest percentage for the six issues tested.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Who Votes, Who Doesn't and Why
How Voters and Non-Voters Differ
18 Oct 06A new survey finds large differences between Americans who are not registered to vote or vote only rarely and those who cast ballots at least some of the time. These two groups at the bottom of the voting participation scale are much less likely than regular or intermittent voters to believe that voting will make much of a difference.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Who Are the Immigrants?
A Statistical View of the Foreign-Born Population at Mid-Decade
17 Oct 06This Pew Hispanic Center statistical profile provides a detailed look at the foreign-born population in the United States. With a foreign-born population of over 35 million, who are these immigrants and what do we know about them?
Pew Hispanic Center

November Turnout May Be High
Democrats Hold Enthusiasm, Engagement Advantage
11 Oct 06Unlike the past three mid-term election campaigns, Democrats are more enthusiastic than Republicans about voting this year.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Changing Landscape of American Public Education
New Students, New Schools
5 Oct 06Public school enrollment in the U.S. has risen sharply since the early 1990s, with Hispanic students accounting for about two-thirds of the increase. The growth has triggered a surge in new school construction, but two-thirds of the new facilities are not serving Hispanic students.
Pew Hispanic Center

Iraq Looms Large in a Nationalized Election
Congressional Race Unchanged After Foley's Resignation
5 Oct 06A new poll finds dismay about U.S. military action in Iraq at its highest level since the war began and many voters say the issue will be primary in their ballot decisions come November. Resignation of Rep. Foley has little impact so far.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Pentecostal Power
A new poll sheds light on this fast-growing global religious movement
5 Oct 06A Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey examines one of the fastest-growing segments of global Christianity, Pentecostalism.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Future of the Internet II
Technology thinkers and stakeholders assess the future social, political, and economic impact of the internet.
28 Sep 06742 top tech thinkers and stakeholders see expanding influence -- and some scary scenarios.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

41.9 Million and Counting
A Statistical View of Hispanics at Mid-Decade
28 Sep 06A statistical view of Hispanics at mid-decade
Pew Hispanic Center

Working After Retirement: The Gap Between Expectations and Reality
21 Sep 06A new Pew Social Trends survey finds a yawning gap between the expectations of today's workers, more than three-quarters of whom believe they will work for pay even after they retire, and current retirees, just 12% of whom are actually working for pay right now.
Pew Research Center

Publics of Asian Powers Hold Negative Views of One Another
China's Neighbors Worry About its Growing Military Strength
21 Sep 06Traditional rivals in Asia continue to look at each other with deep suspicion and concern, especially China and Japan. The Japanese worry about China's increasing military power, while the Chinese believe Japan has yet to atone for its militaristic past.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Americans See Less Progress on Their Ladder of Life
14 Sep 06As economists and politicians debate whether there is less mobility in the U.S. now than in the past, a new Pew survey finds that many among the public are seeing less progress in their own lives.
Pew Research Center

Democrats Hold Solid Lead; Strong Anti-Incumbent, Anti-Bush Mood
14 Sep 06Voters view the coming elections through the prism of national issues and concerns
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Diminished Public Appetite for Military Force and Mideast Oil
6 Sep 06Americans' views of the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have changed little since 2001, but most no longer see an expanded U.S. military overseas as helpful.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

American Work Life is Worsening, But Most Workers Still Content
30 Aug 06Americans are generally satisfied with their own jobs but believe that wages, benefits, job security and employer loyalty have deteriorated over the past generation for most workers, a new survey finds.
Pew Research Center

Cubans in the United States
25 Aug 06A minority within a minority, Cuban-Americans are older, better educated and have a higher level of income than other Hispanics in this country. They also lean more toward the Republican Party.
Pew Hispanic Center

Many Americans Uneasy with Mix of Religion and Politics
69% Say Liberals Too Secular, 49% Say Conservatives Too Assertive
24 Aug 06Many Americans are uneasy with the mix of religion and public life. Some 69% say liberals have gone too far to keep religion out of schools, but 49% say conservatives are too eager to project their religious values into the public sphere.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Katie Couric: Perky and Cute, But Smart, Informed and Liberal, Too
All Three Commercial Evening News Anchors Viewed Positively
24 Aug 06The public has lots of kind words for Katie, Brian and Charles, but just one of the three new network anchors has cornered the market on "perky" and "liberal." Guess who?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Voters Focus on Domestic Issues, Despite Crises Abroad
17 Aug 06War in Lebanon, widening violence in Iraq and the foiled airline terror plot failed to produce big changes in attitudes toward Israel or President Bush while economic worries continue to dominate the voting agenda.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Growth in the Foreign-Born Workforce and Employment of the Native Born
10 Aug 06Rapid increases in the foreign-born population at the state level are not associated with negative effects on the employment of native-born workers, according to a study by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Pew Hispanic Center

As the Price of Gas Goes Up, The Nation's Odometer Slows Down
History Repeats Itself
8 Aug 06About half the public says it is driving less due to sticker shock at the pump.
Pew Research Center

Public Conflicted About Press Reports of Bank Record Monitoring
8 Aug 06Majority says reports hurt interest of American people -- but even bigger majority says they tell citizens something they should know.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Americans and Their Cars: Is the Romance on the Skids?
Fewer Americans like to drive, survey shows
1 Aug 06Any nation with more passenger vehicles than licensed drivers has a pretty serious love affair with the automobile. But the romance seems to be cooling off a bit -- a casualty of its own intensity.
Pew Research Center

Online Papers Modestly Boost Newspaper Readership
30 Jul 06The biennial news consumption survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that newspapers, which have seen their audience decline in recent decades, are now stemming further losses with the help of their online editions.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Americans' Support for Israel Unchanged by Recent Hostilities
Domestic Political Distemper Continues
26 Jul 06A new Pew poll conducted July 6-19 finds little change in public sympathy for Israel in its dispute with the Palestinians, while Americans remain dissatisfied with the state of the nation and with the president's performance.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Blogger Portrait
The Internet Has Empowered a New Class of Commentators Eager to Share Personal - Much More Than Political - Views
19 Jul 06A new, national phone survey of bloggers finds that most are focused on describing their personal experiences to a relatively small audience of readers and that only a small proportion focus their coverage on politics, media, government, or technology.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

2006 National Survey of Latinos: The Immigration Debate
13 Jul 06New survey finds Hispanics in the U.S. are feeling discriminated against, politically energized and unified following the immigration policy debate and the pro-immigration marches this spring.
Pew Hispanic Center

The Heat Over Global Warming
Americans generally agree that temperatures are climbing but there is no consensus about what, if anything, to do about it.
12 Jul 06New findings from a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press poll show that public attitudes about global warming are deeply divided along partisan lines. But even among Democrats, global warming ranks low relative to other issue priorities.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Muslims in Europe
Economic - Not Religious - Worries Top Their Concerns
6 Jul 06Muslims living in Europe worry about their future, and many say they have had a bad experience as a result of their religion or ethnicity. But Muslims there do not generally believe most Europeans are hostile toward people of their faith.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

'Enthusiasm Gap' Favors Democrats This Year
A Reversal from 1994
27 Jun 06A new poll finds Democrats more eager to vote, but also less happy with their party.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Small Boost for Bush
Views of Iraq Improve
22 Jun 06Americans are more optimistic about the U.S. achieving its goals in Iraq.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Great Divide
How Westerners and Muslims View Each Other
22 Jun 06After a year marked by riots over cartoon portrayals of Muhammad, a major terrorist attack in London, and continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, most Muslims and Westerners see relations between them as generally bad.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Americans to Rest of World: Soccer Not Really Our Thing
Just 4% say it's their favorite sport to watch
14 Jun 06Just 4% of U.S adults here say soccer is their favorite sport to watch.
Pew Research Center

America's Image Slips
But Allies Share U.S. Concerns about Iran, Hamas
13 Jun 06The 2006 Pew Global Attitudes survey finds that America's image has again slipped in most of the 15 countries surveyed and support for the U.S.-led war on terrorism has declined even among close U.S. allies such as Japan.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Bush's Troubles Shake the GOP Base
Both Moderate and Conservative Partisans Grow Restless
6 Jun 06Within the GOP, the president's support has faded fastest among moderates and liberals. The drop among conservatives has been more gradual, but the implications are just as serious.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Home Broadband Goes Mainstream
Fast internet connections are going mainstream with user-generated content now coming from all sorts of subscribers
28 May 06The number of Americans with fast internet connections at home has jumped from 60 million in March 2005 to 84 million in March 2006.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Gambling: As the Take Rises, So Does Public Concern
23 May 06A new study from the Pew Research Center finds a modest backlash in attitudes toward legalized gambling, even as the public is spending more money on more forms of legal gambling.
Pew Research Center

The Overstayers
23 May 06Nearly half of all the unauthorized migrants now living in the U.S. entered the country legally, according to a new Pew Hispanic Center estimate.
Pew Hispanic Center

Increasingly, Americans Prefer Going to the Movies at Home
16 May 06As the summer blockbuster movie season begins, a new Pew Research Center survey finds three-quarters of all adults now say they would prefer to watch movies at home, up from 67% in 1994.
Pew Research Center

The Cell Phone Challenge to Polling
15 May 06While Americans who rely solely on a cell phone for telephone service differ in their demographics from land-line subscribers, a new study finds that so far the results obtained by surveys that exclude cell-only users are not significantly affected.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Calling Mom on Mother's Day. And the Day Before. And the Day After.
9 May 06The traditional holiday phone call to mom may not have the impact it once had- not because fewer sons and daughters remember to call, but because more are already talking to mom every other day of the year.
Pew Research Center

Once Again, The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
2 May 06Barely a third of today's adults expect today's children to grow up better off than people are now.
Pew Research Center

Finding Answers Online In Sickness and In Health
2 May 06Americans rely on the internet for important health information now more than ever and many say it's their most important source of help when illness strikes.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

In the Battle of the Bulge, More Soldiers Than Successes
Two-in-three are dieting or exercising
26 Apr 06Two in three are dieting or exercising, but most feel far from ideal weight.
Pew Research Center

Congress Faces Record Public Discontent
Anti-Incumbent Sentiment Echoes 1994
20 Apr 06Belief that this Congress has accomplished less than its predecessors is higher than at any point in the past nine years; Republican leaders take the blame.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Eating More; Enjoying Less
19 Apr 06Just 39% of adults say they enjoy eating "a great deal," down from 48% in 1989 - with a bigger decline among those who consider themselves overweight than among those who consider themselves just about the right weight.
Pew Research Center

Americans See Weight Problems Everywhere But In the Mirror
We tend to weigh ourselves on a different scale
11 Apr 06Americans think the nation's waistline is expanding and they consider this a serious problem. But when it comes to weighing themselves, they seem to use a different scale.
Pew Research Center

America's Immigration Quandary
No Consensus on Immigration Problem or Proposed Fixes
4 Apr 06Americans worry about unauthorized immigration, but disagree about specific policies to deal with it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Cell Phone Society
Many Americans now can't live without them - but sometimes they can't live with them.
4 Apr 06Many Americans now can't live without them - but sometimes they can't live with them.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

A Barometer of Modern Morals
Sex, Drugs, and the 1040
28 Mar 06Cheating on your taxes, cheating on your spouse and other questions of right and wrong
Pew Research Center

50 Million Americans Get News Online Every Day
22 Mar 06Many broadband users now say the internet is a main news source, surpassing even TV and papers, according to the Pew Internet Project.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Diminishing Divide on Cultural Issues?
Opposition to Gay Marriage, Adoption and Military Service Declines
22 Mar 06Even as divisive policy debates continue, public acceptance of homosexual marriage, adoption and military has increased.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
22% of Americans Have a Relative in a Mixed-Race Marriage
14 Mar 06One in five Americans (22%) now has a close relative married to someone of a different race.
Pew Research Center

State of the News Media
Tough Times for Print Journalism - and In-Depth Reporting
14 Mar 06As audiences shift to new online media, print's problems have accelerated. But newspapers can still avoid a death spiral, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Gauging Family Intimacy
Dogs Edge Cats (Dads Trail Both)
7 Mar 06Most dog and cat owners think of their pets as family. Almost all describe their relationship to their pets as "close." Dear old dad doesn't fare quite as well.
Pew Research Center

Unauthorized Migrants Number 11.5-12 Million
7 Mar 06The population of unauthorized migrants in the U.S. is between 11.5 million and 12 million, according to a new report from the Pew Hispanic Center.
Pew Hispanic Center

Who's Feeling Rushed?
28 Feb 06If you want to find out who's always feeling starved for time, just ask a working mom.
Pew Research Center

India: Pro-America, Pro-Bush
Bucking the global trend, U.S. popularity soared among Indians in '05
28 Feb 06This week, President Bush visits a country whose people hold both him and the U.S. in high regard.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Families Drawn Together By Communication Revolution
As Family Forms Change, Bonds Remain Strong
21 Feb 06A Social Trends Report
Pew Research Center

Truly a World Wide Web
Globe Goes Digital
21 Feb 06Computer usage and internet access have gone global. In many countries the growth has been fastest among people older than 50, according to a new Pew Global Attitudes report.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Are We Happy Yet?
13 Feb 06In the pursuit of happiness, it helps to be affluent, a Republican or a regular churchgoer.
Pew Research Center

States, Flush with Cash, Still Face Tough Issues
13 Feb 06From Medicaid to immigration, state lawmakers grapple with contentious issues as elections loom.
Stateline.org

The Strength of Internet Ties
25 Jan 06The internet and email expand and strengthen the social ties that people maintain in the offline world, according to a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Russia's Weakened Democratic Embrace
6 Jan 06As concerns grow over the state of Russia's democracy, recent polling by the Pew Global Attitudes Project finds an erosion of support for democracy among the Russian people.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Occupational Status and Mobility of Hispanics
15 Dec 05Hispanics and whites perform different types of work in the labor market. Moreover, the occupational divide between the two largest segments of the labor force appears to be widening. The occupations in which Hispanics are concentrated rank low in wages, educational requirements and other indicators of socioeconomic status.
Pew Hispanic Center

Baby Boomers: From the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Responsibility
8 Dec 05As the oldest of the nation's 75 million baby boomers approach the age of 60, a Pew Research Center survey finds many are looking ahead to their own retirement while balancing a full plate of family responsibilities - either raising minor children or providing financial and other forms of support to adult children or to aging parents.
Pew Research Center

Mapping the Political Landscape 2005
1 Sep 05The Center's report offers a richly textured portrait of the American electorate, including a new analysis of 2004 election returns that reveals the congruence between where people live and how they vote.
Pew Research Center

Trends 2005
20 Jan 05The first publication of the Pew Research Center explores American public opinion and values, religion and public life, media, the Internet, Hispanics, the states and global opinion.
Pew Research Center