Analysis and Commentary

Europeans and Americans Share Concerns About Iran’s Nuclear Program
Russians Less Worried
18 Nov 09As international pressure mounts on Iran to halt its nuclear program, Americans and Europeans generally express serious concerns about the potential threat from a nuclear-armed Iran. These fears are somewhat muted in Russia
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Obama Popular in Japan, China and South Korea
But Only Modest Improvements in U.S. Image
12 Nov 09As President Obama embarks on his first trip to Asia he will be greeted by publics who are confident in his judgment regarding world affairs and who generally agree with his international policies.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Battle of the Budget Bulge
Are Americans Ready to Trim Their Government Waistline?
12 Nov 09Americans are famous both for being weight conscious, and at the same time unable to come to terms successfully with their bloated waistlines. The same paradox has applied to how the public looks at budget deficits for a very long time.
Pew Research Center

Americans and Western Europeans Agree on Afghanistan-Pakistan Extremist Threat
Consensus Despite Divisions on Afghan War
11 Nov 09While both Americans and Western Europeans generally believe the "Af-Pak" region potentially poses significant threats to national security, they do not share a common view about the deployment of military forces in Afghanistan.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Public Divided Over Afghan Troop Requests, But Still Sees Rationale for War
5 Nov 09As Obama weighs difficult choices in Afghanistan, the public also appears to be finding it difficult to judge the merits of different options for expanding, maintaining or contracting the U.S. effort on that front.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Partisanship and Cable News Audiences
30 Oct 09In recent years, Republican viewers have migrated increasingly to Fox News but Democrats comprise a larger share of the Fox News audience than Republicans do of CNN's audience.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The “Zeal of the Convert”: Is It the Real Deal?
29 Oct 09People who have switched religions consistently exhibit higher levels of religious commitment than those who still belong to their childhood faith, but the differences are relatively modest.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Searching For Clues in the Global Warming Puzzle
27 Oct 09Why do fewer Americans believe the earth is warming? A range of possibilities, including a sour economy and, perhaps, a cooler than normal summer in parts of the U.S., may provide an explanation.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Updated Demographic Profiles of U.S. Hispanics by Country of Origin
15 Oct 09Five demographic profiles of Hispanic populations in the U.S. by country of origin -- Guatemalan, Colombian, Honduran, Ecuadorian and Peruvian -- have been added to the profiles of the five largest Hispanic populations -- Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Salvadoran, and Dominican -- posted earlier in the year by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Pew Hispanic Center

The States of Marriage and Divorce
Lots of Ex’s Live in Texas
15 Oct 09Marriage, divorce and remarriage rates vary significantly among states as do average education and income levels. Analysis of new Census data reveals some interesting patterns.
Social & Demographic Trends

But What Do the Polls Show?
How public opinion surveys came to play a major role in policymaking and politics
14 Oct 09Perhaps the best way to think about public opinion and its relationship to politics and policymaking is that the American public is typically short on facts, but often long on judgment.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Nobel Prize
9 Oct 09News that President Obama has won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize is another sign of his international appeal, as his election effectively turned around America's negative image in many countries.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Global Attitudes Project

Mother Nature Makes News
8 Oct 09A trio of tragedies -- a typhoon, a tsunami and an earthquake -- combined to make Sept. 28-Oct. 4 the second-biggest week of natural disaster coverage in 2009, confirming again the tendency of network newscasts to devote significant coverage to such disasters. An interactive feature charts media coverage of these and other disasters of recent years.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Strong Support For Watchdog Role, Despite Public Criticism Of News Media
2 Oct 09The percentage of Americans saying that press criticism of political leaders keeps them honest is nearly as high now as it was in the 1980s, when views of the media were far less negative than they are today.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Health Care: Politics in the Pews
Religious Groups Weigh In on Health Care Reform
2 Oct 09Many religious organizations have taken on the look of political campaigns, as advocates for and against health care reform preach their politics.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Harried Life of the Working Mother
1 Oct 09A solid majority of Americans (75%) reject the idea that women should return to their traditional roles in society, but many women remain conflicted about the competing roles they play at work and at home.
Social & Demographic Trends

Where the News Comes From -- And Why It Matters
25 Sep 09Newspapers are still the largest originating, gathering source of real news; the crisis they face is not loss of audience but loss of revenue.
Pew Research Center

Hispanics, Health Insurance and Health Care Access
25 Sep 09Six-in-ten Hispanic adults living in the United States who are neither citizens nor legal permanent residents lack health insurance.
Pew Hispanic Center

What Divides America?
Immigration and Income -- Not Race -- Are Seen as Primary Sources of Social Conflict
24 Sep 09While conflict over race may be America's most historical and inflamed division, more Americans currently see divisions between immigrants and native-born Americans, as well as rich-poor divides, as stronger social conflicts.
Social & Demographic Trends

Salazar v. Buono: Can Government Give One Religion's Symbol Prominence in a Public Park?
24 Sep 09The Supreme Court will soon take up a case with the potential to determine the fate of a cross on display in the Mojave National Preserve, as well as similar religious displays across the country. The court's decision might also determine who may bring Establishment Clause lawsuits in federal court in the future.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Obama Addresses More Popular U.N.
Ratings Improved the Most in the U.S.
21 Sep 09Opinion of the United Nations has grown more positive since 2007 in 12 of the 25 nations surveyed by the Pew Global Attitudes Project. And in no country have favorable ratings improved as much as in the United States.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Take this Job and Love It
Self-Employed Significantly More Satisfied With Jobs
17 Sep 09The self-employed are far more satisfied with their jobs and more likely to work because they want to and not for a paycheck. But if you decide to strike out on your own, don't count on financial security.
Social & Demographic Trends

U.S. Image Improves in Canada
But Many Differ With Obama on Afghanistan
14 Sep 09While Canadians were never as negative about the U.S. as Western Europe was, America's image is up among its northern neighbors. However, differences still remain over Afghanistan and America's economic influence.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Declining Support for bin Laden and Suicide Bombing
10 Sep 09Confidence in al Qaeda's leader has dropped considerably in recent years, particularly in Indonesia, Pakistan and Jordan. Violence against civilians in defense of Islam is also increasingly seen as never justified.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Obama's Approval Ratings Slide:
By the Numbers

4 Sep 09In April, 62% of the public approved of Barack Obama's performance as president, but in August, just four months later, 52% approved. Obama's approval rating has declined across nearly all major demographic and political groups.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Few in NATO Support Call For Additional Forces in Afghanistan
31 Aug 09Proposals to increase troop levels may face considerable opposition in many NATO countries, which were opposed to Obama’s original call for more forces.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Coping With End-of-Life Decisions
Few Have Living Wills
20 Aug 09While most Americans approve of laws that say treatment can be stopped if that’s what a terminally ill patient desires, they are split on what they would do personally in that situation. Only 27% have put into writing their own wishes regarding end-of-life care.
Social & Demographic Trends

Would Americans Welcome Medicare if it Were Being Proposed in 2009?
19 Aug 09Much of the opposition to health care reform today is being fueled by anti-government sentiment that did not exist during the mid-1960's.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Supports Targeting Al Qaeda Leaders, Wants Congress in the Loop
7 Aug 09Americans generally support allowing the Central Intelligence Agency to assassinate al Qaeda leaders, but opinions are more mixed about whether the CIA should have such a program without first informing Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Go West, Old Man
Where Older Adults Feel Young at Heart
7 Aug 09Searching for a modern fountain of youth? American's West has the highest concentration of older adults who don't think of themselves as old. Older Westerners also feel healthier and get more exercise than older folks elsewhere.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Republican Party’s Dilemma
6 Aug 09The Sotomayor vote represents the dilemma the GOP faces coming out of its 2008 and 2006 election defeats: how to keep its base happy on the one hand and broaden its appeal to women, Latinos and young people, on the other.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obamamania Misses Most Muslim Countries
31 Jul 09America's image is on the rebound throughout much of the world, driven in large part by positive reactions to the new U.S. president. Still, a new Pew Global Attitudes Project survey finds that the Muslim world remains largely immune to Obamamania.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Nap Time
29 Jul 09Feeling drowsy? You're not alone. On a typical day, a third of the adults (34%) in the United States take a nap.
Social & Demographic Trends

Few See U.S. Health Care as 'Best in the World'
24 Jul 09Most Americans rate the nation's health care as no better than average when compared with health care in other industrialized countries. Conservative Republicans are most likely to give the U.S. system high marks.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

"One Small Step" No Longer Seen as Such a Giant Leap for America
15 Jul 09Four decades after the first American astronauts walked on the moon, that historic accomplishment has lost some prominence in the eyes of the public. Gen Y is especially spaced out.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Profile of Puerto Ricans
13 Jul 09The nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, born in the Bronx to Puerto Rican parents, has focused attention on the second-largest population of Hispanics living in the United States. Here's a look at the demographics of this group.
Pew Hispanic Center

Accurately Locating Where Wireless Respondents Live Requires More Than A Phone Number
9 Jul 09The mobile nature of wireless phones creates a significant problem for geographic sampling.This problem is exacerbated by the fact that the wireless-only are more geographically mobile than those with landline phones.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Perils of Polling in Election '08
25 Jun 09Despite such challenges as a growing wireless-only population, possible racially-related response bias and greater-than-usual difficulties in forecasting turnout, polllsters' methods were evidently adequate to the task.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Pollwatch: Comparing the Polls on Spending and the Deficit
24 Jun 09How the question is phrased has a clear impact on whether the public rates deficit reduction or stimulus spending more important.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

About One-in-Six Americans Are Baptist
23 Jun 09A graphical representation of America's denominational distribution.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Cockeyed Optimists or Self-Fulfilling Prophets?
17 Jun 09Even while their personal worries have deepened, Americans have been feeling more upbeat about the national economy's prospects and less concerned about rising inequality. What underlies this trend and can it be sustained?
Pew Research Center

The State of Music Online: Ten Years after Napster
15 Jun 09While Napster morphed from its lawless larval stage to a dues-paying music service, consumers have had their pick of surviving free, peer-to-peer applications. And while the music industry has been on the front lines of the battle to convert freeloaders into paying customers, their efforts have been watched closely by other digitized industries.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Gen Next Squeezed By Recession, But Most See Better Times Ahead
Young Are More Liberal in Views of Gov’t, Traditional Values
5 Jun 09While the economic downturn is falling quite heavily on younger Americans, their overall outlook remains optimistic. A new survey also finds Generation Next expressing more liberal views when compared with older age cohorts as well as evidence of increased political engagement.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Brides, Grooms Often Have Different Faiths
5 Jun 09Buddhists and the religiously unaffiliated are the most likely to have a spouse or partner with a different religious background, while Mormons and Hindus are the least likely to marry or live with a partner outside their own faith.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Public Backs Affirmative Action, But Not Minority Preferences
2 Jun 09The public has generally been supportive of affirmative action programs, but is decidedly opposed to the idea of providing preferential treatment to minorities.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Is Sotomayor the Court's First Hispanic?
28 May 09A look at how the government defines who is what origin-wise.
Pew Hispanic Center

Most Middle-Aged Adults Are Rethinking Retirement Plans
The Threshold Generation
28 May 09In the midst of a recession that has taken a heavy toll on many nest eggs, just over half of all working adults ages 50 to 64 say they may delay their retirement -- and another 16% say they never expect to stop working.
Social & Demographic Trends

Court of Public Opinion Sides with Women on Empathy
21 May 09Obama says empathy is one of the qualities he'll be looking for in a new Supreme Court justice. Meantime, his White House has floated a list of possible nominees that's stacked heavily with women. Coincidence?
Pew Research Center

Top of the Mind Impressions of Obama
The New President ... In a Word
7 May 09An interactive graphic shows how perceptions of the president have changed over the past few months.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Search: "Swine Flu"
Where Americans Are Turning for Flu Facts
7 May 09The public ranks the internet most useful as a source of information on the virus. Where and how are people finding flu facts online?
Pew Research Center

Prayer in America
7 May 09Nearly six-in-ten U.S. adults say they pray at least once a day although the frequency of prayer differs significantly by religious tradition, age, gender and income.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Catholics, Obama and Notre Dame
30 Apr 09Most Catholics aware of the controversy support the University of Notre Dame's decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak and receive an honorary degree at its May 17 commencement, even though he supports abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. But a new poll also finds a deep division on this issue between the most observant Catholics and those who are less observant
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Religious Dimensions of the Torture Debate
30 Apr 09Analysis of a new Pew Research survey finds--along with other differences in attitudes toward the use of torture among the four major U.S. religious traditions--that white mainline Protestants are the most likely to say that the torture of suspected terrorists can never be justified.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

GOP Party Identification Slips Nationwide and in Pennsylvania
No Indication of Further Democratic Gains
29 Apr 09The Republican Party has continued to lose adherents in 2009. In combined surveys since the start of the year, fewer than a quarter (23%) of Americans identify as Republicans. In total, the GOP has lost roughly a quarter of its base over the past five years. But these losses have not translated into substantial Democratic gains.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Religion in South Africa 15 Years After the End of Apartheid
23 Apr 09Data from a 10-country survey of Pentecostals in 2006 provide estimates of the religious affiliation of South Africa's urban population.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Will Obama Ride Reagan's Ratings Roller Coaster?
22 Apr 09A close look at reactions to Reagan's first few months in office provides striking parallels with what polls now find about opinions of Obama. And a consideration of the Reagan experience may well give some clues as to what lies ahead for the 44th president.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Faith in Global Warming
Religious Groups' Views on Earth Warming Evidence
16 Apr 09The unaffiliated (58%) are the most likely to say there is solid evidence the earth is warming because of human activity while white evangelical Protestants (34%) are the least likely to believe in man-made global warming.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

When Will Jesus Return?
Christians' Views of the Second Coming
9 Apr 09Fully 79% of U.S. Christians believe in the Second Coming of Christ. Only 17% don't -- fewer than the 20% who believe the Second Coming will occur in their lifetime.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Smokers Can't Blow Off Stress
8 Apr 09While many say they light up to relieve stress, half of all smokers say they "frequently" experience stress in their daily lives, compared with just 35% of those who once smoked and have now quit, and 31% of those who never smoked.
Social & Demographic Trends

Not All Nonbelievers Call Themselves Atheists
3 Apr 09About one-in-20 Americans say they do not believe in God, but that doesn't mean 5% of Americans are atheists. In fact, 14% of nonbelievers self-identify as Christian. Only a quarter of those who do not believe in God consider themselves atheists.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Partisan Gap in Obama Job Approval Widest in Modern Era
2 Apr 09For all of his hopes about bipartisanship, Barack Obama has the most polarized early job approval ratings of any president in the past four decades.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

No Decline in Belief That Obama is a Muslim
Nearly One-in-Five White Evangelicals Think So
1 Apr 09More than two months into Barack Obama's presidency, as many people incorrectly identify him as a Muslim as did so during the 2008 campaign with white evangelicals and Republicans most likely to misidentify his religious affiliation.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama Unlikely to Find a Quick Fix for U.S. Global Image
31 Mar 09As the president travels through Europe this week, issues arising from the global economic crisis and other world problems on his agenda seem likely to resonate with key criticisms of America's leadership carried over from the Bush years.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Global Attitudes Project

Unusually Wide Gap in 'Satisfaction,' 'Right Direction' Measures
26 Mar 09Americans' perception about the state and direction of the nation usually go hand-in-hand. However, big events, like last fall's election, can split these two indicators of the public's national outlook.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Optimism and Obstacles for Obama in Europe
25 Mar 09Polls suggest Obama may have reason to expect a mostly -- but not entirely -- warm reception on his coming overseas trip with stops in Britain, France, Germany, Czech Republic and Turkey.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Most Mainline Protestants Say Society Should Accept Homosexuality
19 Mar 09Most members of mainline denominations say society should accept homosexuality.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Public Has Split Verdict on Increased Level of Unmarried Motherhood
19 Mar 09There is a stronger consensus in public opinion about the social cost of out-of-wedlock births than there is about the morality of these births.
Social & Demographic Trends

Reluctant Suffragettes: When Women Questioned Their Right to Vote
From the Polling Archive
18 Mar 09An 86-year-old polling analysis sheds light on why female Americans were slow to appreciate the fruits of the suffragettes' hard-fought 70-year battle for access to the ballot box.
Pew Research Center

Most Like It Hot
18 Mar 09Given a choice, most Americans would opt for a sun-kissed climate -- but not necessarily for a warm-weather city.
Social & Demographic Trends

Socialism, American-Style
We love the free market, but fear corporations and global competition, and depend on Uncle Sam to keep us safe
12 Mar 09We love the free market, but fear corporations and global competition, and depend on Uncle Sam to keep us safe.
Pew Research Center

Few in Pakistan Support Extremists -- But Few Favor Military Confrontation
12 Mar 09Extremist groups are increasingly demonstrating their ability to strike throughout a country in which support for al Qaeda or the Taliban has declined sharply in recent years and where very few agree with their widely noted tactic of preventing education for girls.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Magnet or Sticky?
A State-by-State Typology
11 Mar 09At first glance, magnet and sticky states may seem to be mirror opposites of each other, and it is true that most states score high on one scale and low on another. But it turns out that 10 states rank high on both scales, and another nine score low on both. Find out where your state lands.
Social & Demographic Trends

Why Surveys of Muslim Americans Differ
6 Mar 09Because Muslim Americans make up a very small percentage of the U.S. public, it is difficult to provide a reliable picture of their views and differences in survey design can crucially affect findings.
Pew Research Center

Eastern Europe: A Crisis of Confidence in Capitalism?
5 Mar 09The economic crisis could have troubling implications for public opinion in the former Eastern Bloc, where support for capitalism had been on the rise, but still remained weaker than in Western Europe and most other regions of the world.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

In Mammon We Trust? Religions Agree Economy is Issue Number One
4 Mar 09While members of all faiths see the economy as the top priority for 2009, they are not always in agreement on what issues the government should tackle. The divide is especially large on reducing crime and moral decline in America.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Truth over Happiness
27 Feb 09Will Americans listen only to Happy Talk from a president? Here's what the record shows.
Pew Research Center

The Stronger Sex -- Spiritually Speaking
27 Feb 09Analysis of survey data shows that women are more religious than men on a variety of measures.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content
26 Feb 09Suburbanites are significantly more satisfied with their communities than are residents of cities, small towns or rural areas, but that doesn't mean Americans want to live there.
Social & Demographic Trends

Newspapers Face a Challenging Calculus
Online Growth, but Print Losses are Bigger
26 Feb 09The growth in readership online has not offset the decline in print for newspapers.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

One-In-Five Homeowners Feels "Underwater" On Mortgages
19 Feb 09Those who say their homes are worth less than what they owe on their mortgages are generally younger, less affluent and more likely to be Hispanic or African American than are those who feel they would at least break even if they had to sell today.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

No Place Like Home -- Even if the Value Is in the Tank
19 Feb 09Not even a housing-led recession can shake Americans' faith in the blessings of homeownership.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Globe's Emerging Middle Classes
Views on Democracy, Religion, Values and Life Satisfaction in Emerging Nations
12 Feb 09As economically developing countries grow prosperous, their middle classes understandably become more satisfied with their lives and their values become more like those of the publics of advanced nations.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Cupid's Arrow Often Hits People of Different Faiths
11 Feb 09More than one-in-four (27%) American adults who are married or living with a partner are in religiously mixed relationships.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Views of Venezuela's Chavez Have Hardened in the Region -- and at Home
10 Feb 09Since he was first elected 10 years ago, Chavez has often portrayed himself as a regional leader, at the forefront of a new era of Latin American populism. However, in many countries in the region, Chavez fails to inspire much confidence.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

From Candidate to President
9 Feb 09One-word descriptions of President Obama have changed dramatically since he was a candidate.
Pew Research Center

On Darwin's 200th Birthday, Americans Still Divided About Evolution
5 Feb 09Opinion polls over the past two decades have found the American public deeply divided -- and confused -- in its beliefs about the origins and development of life on earth.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Limbaugh Holds onto his Niche -- Conservative Men
3 Feb 09While Rush’s syndicated radio show does not have the reach of other conservative favorites like Bill O’Reilly’s television program, his audience is by far the most conservative of any program or network tested by a Pew Research survey. It was also the most male.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Religious Portrait of African-Americans
30 Jan 09While the U.S. is generally considered a highly religious nation, African-Americans are markedly more religious on a variety of measures than the U.S. population as a whole, including level of affiliation with a religion, attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer and religion's importance in life.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Dems' Favorability Advantage Widens
Views of Congress Negative, More Polarized
29 Jan 09The current Democratic favorability advantage is the largest measured in nearly two decades. Even among white evangelical Protestants, loyal supporters of the Republican Party, opinions about the two parties are about even.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Ideological Gaps Over Israel on Both Sides of Atlantic
29 Jan 09The American public has long expressed strong support for Israel. In contrast, polls in Western Europe have frequently found more support for the Palestinians. But while they generally take different sides in the conflict, political ideology matters in both America and Europe.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Global Attitudes Project

Generations Online in 2009
28 Jan 09Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the "Net Generation," internet users in their twenties do not dominate every aspect of online life. Gen X is the most likely to shop, bank and look for health information online. And larger percentages of older generations are doing many more activities online.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

As Obama Takes Office, Global Press Turns to Regional Concerns
22 Jan 09The celebratory tone that characterized international media coverage of Barack Obama’s historic election victory was again pervasive in many of the stories about his inauguration. However, many newspapers noted the more somber tone of Obama’s speech, and were themselves relatively somber about the enormous challenges and inflated expectations facing the new president.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Who Expects To Gain -- And Lose -- Under Obama
21 Jan 09More Americans say that people like themselves will gain influence under the Obama administration than was the case for the last two incoming presidents. Many who did not vote for Obama say this as well -- including pluralities of all whites and white evangelical Christians.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

European Worries About Reliance on Russian Energy Were Already High
15 Jan 09Just as concern about energy dependence has become widespread, so too have unfavorable views of Russia and its Prime Minister Putin.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Ask Not…
The word "sacrifice" has become a rarity in the lexicon of politicians -- and of pollsters too
13 Jan 09Since John F. Kennedy’s famous inaugural address, the word “sacrifice” has become a rarity in the lexicon of politicians -- and of pollsters too
Pew Research Center

Before Israel’s Invasion, Hamas Popularity Was Waning Among Its Neighbors -- Even in Gaza Itself
8 Jan 09Before the current Middle East conflict, Hamas hardly enjoyed universal popularity among Muslims, and among some key Arab publics, its support had been waning.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

States of the Union Before and After Bush
5 Jan 09What a difference eight years can make -- or not. As shown in a series of tables, some things have changed a great deal since George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, but other things, most notably certain American beliefs and attitudes, have remained remarkably constant.
Pew Research Center

Many Americans Say Other Faiths Can Lead to Eternal Life
Most Christians Say Non-Christian Faiths Can Lead to Salvation
18 Dec 08Most American Christians, including evangelicals, have more than just other Christian denominations in mind when they say there are many paths to salvation. Also, roughly one-third of Americans believe that whether one achieves eternal life is determined by what a person believes, with nearly as many saying eternal life depends on one's actions.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Calling Cell Phones In '08 Pre-Election Polls
18 Dec 08The latest study of Pew Research Center election surveys analyzes the effects of conducting both landline and cell phone interviews. While the addition of cell phones had at most a modest effect on estimates of candidate support in individual surveys, when looked at in the aggregate clear patterns emerge.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Global Public Opinion in the Bush Years (2001-2008)
America's Image - Muslims and Westerners - Global Economy - Rise of China
18 Dec 08President-elect Obama has indicated that he will focus on international cooperation in addressing global problems, but he will have to navigate a world that has grown highly critical of the United States.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

What a Year! People-Press Poll Reports in 2008
16 Dec 08Findings from Pew Research Center polls over the year told the story of the longest -- and one of the most exciting -- presidential elections in U.S. history as well as recording the public's reactions to other major events ranging from the pope's visit, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the onset of a mega-economic downturn.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Blagojevich Framed as Obama's First Crisis
16 Dec 08The scandal involving Illinois Gov. Blagojevich became 2008's biggest weekly story not related to the election or economy -- topping both the Russia-Georgia war and NY Gov. Spitzer's prostitution scandal -- and siphoning off attention from the week's other big stories.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Some Final Thoughts on Campaign '08
8 Dec 08 A wrap-up of possibly overlooked polling trends and end-of-campaign happenings.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Online Opportunities
What Our Research Suggests about where President-elect Obama’s Technology Policy May Lead
4 Dec 08For a host of reasons, the new administration needs to develop a national broadband strategy but research suggests that users must be central actors in its design.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

India: Global Optimism, Local Fears
2 Dec 08Recent Pew Global Attitudes surveys show India clearly embracing the economic aspects of globalization. But, even before the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the Indian public was greatly worried about terrorism.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Winds of Political Change Haven’t Shifted Public’s Ideology Balance
25 Nov 08Still, ideological labels don’t always predict policy opinions; e.g.,about half of self-described conservatives say that all or some of the Bush tax cuts should be repealed while many liberals support off-shore drilling.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Never-Ending Story: Palin and Hillary Still Making News
18 Nov 08The country’s weakened economy rivaled the presidential transition as top story of the week while much coverage focused on two women who ran losing campaigns for the executive branch.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

High Hopes
14 Nov 08Barack Obama won only 53% of the vote on Election Day, but he is getting a landslide greeting from the American public with voters giving Obama better grades for his conduct during the campaign than any presidential candidate since 1988.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Post-Election Perspectives
13 Nov 08In remarks at a dinner at the Newseum hosted by the Roper Center, Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut analyzed the voter preferences revealed in exit and post-election polls and their implications for the incoming administration.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Gay Marriage at the Ballot Box
13 Nov 08Prior to Massachusetts becoming the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2003, only three states had passed constitutional amendments prohibiting the practice. With amendments in California, Arizona and Florida passing this November, the number of states now stands at 29. A graphic charts the recent history of voter-approved state bans on gay marriage.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Global Media Celebrate Obama Victory -- But Cautious Too
A Changed View of American Democracy
13 Nov 08"GOBAMA!" gushed Britain's Daily Mirror the day after Barack Obama's electoral victory. Other newspapers around the world were scarcely less enthusiastic but notes of concern and discord were also registered.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Young Voters in the 2008 Election
12 Nov 08This year, 66% of those under age 30 voted for Barack Obama making the disparity between young voters and other age groups larger than in any presidential election since exit polling began in 1972.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Media Moment: History, Trends and Transition Dominate News Coverage
11 Nov 08When the campaign was finally over, the media almost immediately viewed Barack Obama's victory as a transformational event, and a subject that had been in some ways taboo moved front and center - race.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

In Brief: Pleasant Grove City v. Summum
6 Nov 08May a locality that allows one religious group to erect a monument in a city park deny that privilege to another religious sect? On Nov. 12, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case of Pleasant Grove City v. Summum.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

How Hispanics Voted in the 2008 Election
5 Nov 08Hispanics voted for Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden over Sen. John McCain and Gov. Sarah Palin by a margin of more than two-to-one according to an analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center of exit polls, with Latino youth supporting the Democratic ticket by an even wider margin.
Pew Hispanic Center

Inside Obama's Sweeping Victory
5 Nov 08Barack Obama captured the White House on the strength of a substantial electoral shift toward the Democratic Party and by winning a number of key groups in the middle of the electorate. In particular, the overwhelming backing of younger voters was a critical factor in Obama's victory, according to an analysis of National Election Pool exit poll data.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Voting Religiously
5 Nov 08President-elect Barack Obama made a concerted effort to reach out to people of faith during the 2008 presidential campaign, and early exit polls show that this outreach may have paid off on Election Day.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Strategy Session: Media Focused on Polls and Maps in Final Week
4 Nov 08If ever there is a time when campaigns are horse races, it is in the final days, and coverage was indeed largely about the contest itself.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Democrats Post Gains in Affiliation Across Age Cohorts
31 Oct 08The proportion of voters identifying with the Democratic Party has grown significantly since the 2004 election, and the shift has been particularly dramatic among younger voters.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Internet Now Major Source of Campaign News
Continuing Partisan Divide in Cable TV News Audiences
31 Oct 08Television remains the dominant source, but the percent of people who say they get most of their campaign news from the internet has tripled since 2004.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Xenophobia on the Continent
30 Oct 08A growing minority of citizens in several European countries holds unfavorable opinions of Jews. Negative views of Israel, sympathy with the Palestinian cause, rising anti-Americanism, and a backlash against globalization and immigration all play a role in this trend.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Democrats Hold Party ID Edge Across Political Battleground
30 Oct 08As shown in a series of charts, the Democratic Party now holds an advantage in several swing states, has increased its advantage in several "blue" states and cut into the GOP's lead in some "red" states since the last presidential campaign.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Element of Surprise
30 Oct 08As recently as a month ago, this analyst and the American public itself were throwing up our hands and saying we can't figure this one out -- too many intangibles. No more.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Color Of News: How Different Media Have Covered the General Election
29 Oct 08When it comes to coverage of the campaign for president 2008, where one goes for news makes a difference, according to a new study.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Among Florida's Hispanics, Voter Registration Swings Democratic
29 Oct 08Unlike in the rest of the country, the Latino vote in the Sunshine State has tended to be heavily Republican; but changing politics and demographics have produced a substantial shift in electoral rolls.
Pew Hispanic Center

Swing States Sway Campaign Media
28 Oct 08In the final days of the race for president, seemingly nothing but the algebra of the electoral map appears to have staying power.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Republicans: Still Happy Campers
23 Oct 08Despite the imploding stock market, the looming recession, the unpopular president and discouraging political polls, a new Social Trends survey finds GOP adherents still beat Democrats on the happiness scale.
Social & Demographic Trends

Polls and Plumbers Drive Narrative
21 Oct 08Campaign coverage increasingly focused on tactics -- including McCain's invocation of an Ohio plumber to represent the working man - as well as fights in battleground states and the parade of polls.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Poll Power
17 Oct 08Though by no means a perfect instrument, polls make it possible for more opinions, held by a broader and more representative range of citizens, to be known to the government and thus, potentially, heeded.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Campaign Tactics and Tone Trump Economy in Media Narratives
15 Oct 08For the first time in a month, the election generated more coverage than the financial crisis and almost one-third of that coverage was connected to the increasingly harsh tone of the campaign.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Who Knows News? What You Read or View Matters, but Not Your Politics
15 Oct 08Where you turn for news may say a lot about how much you actually know. So who scores higher on a political knowledge quiz? Hardball or Hannity & Colmes? Newspapers or network news? Stewart or Colbert?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Blaming the Messenger: A Continuum of Press Condemnation
10 Oct 08From Jefferson to Palin, politicians of the left and right have blamed the media for public discontent with their policies, politics or personal behavior.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Trickle-Down Global Economics: World Already Saw U.S. Influence as Negative
7 Oct 08Well before the current economic crisis circled the globe, publics worldwide were well aware that U.S. economic conditions affected their own economies. Most -- including the U.S. itself -- viewed that influence in a negative light.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Did Campaign Coverage Move off the Economy? You Betcha!
7 Oct 08Though the economic crisis dominated general news coverage, the vice presidential debate drove the campaign narrative as Sarah Palin received the most attention of the four candidates.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Middle Class, By the Numbers
6 Oct 08The plight of Middle Americans has been much invoked by candidates from both parties this election year. Who are these folk? Here's a self-portrait painted in statistics.
Social & Demographic Trends

A Word about Debate Impressions
4 Oct 08View "word clouds" of voters' impressions of the performances of John McCain and Barack Obama in their first presidential debate based on one-word descriptions from a recent Pew survey.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Despite Pastors' Protest, Most Americans Are Wary of Church Involvement in Partisan Politics
1 Oct 08More than two dozen pastors recently challenged a tax code provision restricting political activities by houses of worship, but surveys show that substantial majorities of the public have consistently opposed such action.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Bad Rap on the Bailout Bill
1 Oct 08Members who voted against the original House bill are said to be responding to strong opposition to the rescue plan from their constituents, but that’s not what most Americans are saying.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Coverage Centers on Volatility in Economy and McCain Campaign
Week's Drama Highlighted Uneasy Mix between National Crisis and Politics
30 Sep 08The week drama's suggested that a national crisis and campaign for president do not easily mix and the candidate who tried harder to seize the moment may have had the tougher week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Assessing the Debate: A Media/Public Disconnect?
30 Sep 08Political pundits, seeing no knockout punch, scored a tie. But viewers awarded the win to Obama.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Uncertain Times
25 Sep 08In every recent election the public has accurately picked the winner by this time in the cycle. But not this year.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Candidates: In a Word
25 Sep 08View "word clouds" of voters' impressions of the candidates based on one-word descriptions from a recent Pew survey.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Cell Phones and the 2008 Vote: An Update
23 Sep 08As in two preceding tests, a new survey shows that including cell phone interviews results in slightly more support for Obama and slightly less for McCain.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Financial Fallout Pops Palin Media Bubble, Drives Campaign Coverage
23 Sep 08Wall Street's meltdown raised the possibility that the economy may become the decisive factor in the November election.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

How the Media Has Handled Palin's Faith
22 Sep 08Coverage of her religious background and beliefs has often been a peripheral element in the story.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

A New Leader for a Chronically Gloomy Japan
22 Sep 08Even if international financial markets were thriving, it is likely that the selection of Taro Aso as the new leader of Japan's ruling party would still have played out against a backdrop of national apprehensiveness and pessimism.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Slight but Steady Majority Favors Keeping Abortion Legal
Most Also Favor Restrictions
16 Sep 08A recent Pew survey finds U.S. opinion on this perennial campaign issue remains in line with the historical pattern.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Palin Comparison: Half of Campaign Storylines Revolve around GOP VP
16 Sep 08For the second week in a row, the GOP vice presidential hopeful got more coverage than the man atop the ticket, John McCain. Yet this measure does not fully convey the Palin-centric nature of the news coverage.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Online News: Should You Be Reading This at Work?
15 Sep 08The internet is allowing Americans to stay constantly informed about the news of the day -- on the company dollar - regardless of whether keeping up-to-date is important to their job.
Pew Research Center

Palin Nomination Puts Spotlight on Pentecostalism
12 Sep 08From the time she was a teenager until 2002, Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin attended a Pentecostal church , a denomination that emphasizes such practices as speaking in tongues, prophesying, divine healing and other miraculous signs of the Holy Spirit.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Bounce Effect
11 Sep 08There is little doubt that the fall campaign begins in earnest with McCain having gained the momentum. How good an indicator is this of where the electorate is headed on Nov. 4?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Survey Finds Alaskans Less Religious Than Other Americans
9 Sep 08GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is a self-described "Bible-believing Christian," but Pew surveys find that Alaskans are less devout on average than other Americans.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Northern Exposure: Palin Dominates Campaign Coverage
McCain Finally Gets More Coverage Than Obama, But Couldn't Top His VP
9 Sep 08For the first time since the general election campaign began, John McCain generated more coverage than Barack Obama. But he was still outshone by another newsmaker -- his own running mate.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Denver and Palin Fuel Biggest Campaign Week Yet
3 Sep 08Campaign coverage filled 69% of the overall newshole last week, by far the most media attention the 2008 election has received since PEJ began tracking it in January 2007. The Democratic convention dominated news early, but McCain's unexpected VP pick abruptly changed the subject. In just two days of tracking, Sarah Palin became the third biggest campaign story of the week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Podcasts Proliferate, But Not Mainstream
19% of Internet Users Have Downloaded a Podcast
28 Aug 08Nearly one in five internet users (19%) has downloaded a podcast to listen to or view later -- up from 12% in 2006. But podcasting has yet to become a fixture in the everyday lives of internet users, as very few download podcasts on a typical day.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Convention Buzz: A Split Decision
28 Aug 08An examination of political websites shows the Clinton team and the Obama team sharing equal billing in online chatter about the Democratic National Convention.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

E-Patients: Chronically Ill Seek Health Information Online
26 Aug 08More Americans are making a habit of using the internet to gather health information as broadband adoption increases. But personal motivation is also a powerful factor, as those with chronic diseases are more likely to search for and make decisions about health care online.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

It's All Veepstakes All the Time
26 Aug 08In a week that culminated with Senator Joe Biden's selection as Barack Obama's running mate, the veepstakes dominated the campaign narrative, shunting other storylines -- particularly policy differences -- to the sidelines.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama's Challenge
25 Aug 08As Democrats gather in Denver, many may be wondering why the presidential race has tightened. An analysis of polling data shows that that while voters are unhappy with the state of the nation and give low ratings to President Bush, the GOP base has started to solidify around McCain. Polling also finds that Obama's extensive media coverage may be a mixed blessing.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Closer Look at the Parties in 2008
Convention Backgrounder
22 Aug 08As the 2008 conventions approach, the Democratic Party’s advantage in party identification remains as large as it has been over the past two decades, and the Democratic Party’s image remains substantially more positive than the GOP’s.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

War in Georgia is Bigger News than the Campaign
19 Aug 08Last week marked the first time in nine months that the most covered news story was not the presidential campaign. The Russian-Georgian war led the news and also generated positive coverage for McCain and his aggressive approach to the crisis.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Purpose Driven Campaign: The Candidates' Forum with Rick Warren
14 Aug 08McCain and Obama will make their first joint appearance of the general election campaign at an event moderated by Pastor Rick Warren at his 22,000-member Saddleback Church. John Green discusses what the candidates stand to gain from speaking with Warren and the challenges that Warren will face as he attempts to broaden evangelicals’ political agenda.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Comeback Kids: Clintons Return to Campaign Coverage
12 Aug 08Last week's major story lines turned more to discord among Democrats, energy policy and the search for vice presidents.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Spears and Hilton Raise McCain Coverage Even With Obama
5 Aug 08A spasm of introspection by the media, amid a wave of accusations that they were being unfair to the GOP standard bearer combined with a controversial ad to generate equal coverage of the two candidates.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

An Enthusiastic China Welcomes the Olympics
5 Aug 08Publics around the world are showing signs of apprehension about China's growing economic power, its role in foreign affairs and the safety of the products it exports; but the Chinese people are confident that the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will change the way their country is viewed.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

No Longer in the News, Earthquake Survivors Face a Painful Recovery
5 Aug 08Media focus in China turned away weeks ago from the May 12 earthquake to the Beijing Olympics, but a journey through the heart of the destruction reveals the immense task faced by the people of Sichuan, already poor, to recreate their lives.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

The Power of the Protest Vote
29 Jul 08Don't be surprised if third or fourth party presidential candidates garner enough votes in November to make a difference
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obama's Trip Consumes Coverage
But not all of the coverage was flattering
29 Jul 08While many media outlets credited Obama with a stylistically successful and largely gaffe-less trip, some questioned whether it actually benefited the candidate.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

America's Four Middle Classes
29 Jul 08The Top of the Class, the Satisfied Middle, the Anxious Middle and the Struggling Middle - what unites and divides the majority of Americans who call themselves "middle class."
Social & Demographic Trends

War Takes Center Stage as Obama (and Media) Move Overseas
23 Jul 08In a week that began with speeches on foreign policy by both candidates and ended with Barack Obama traveling to the Middle East, The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in various dimensions, retook center stage in the campaign for the presidency.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Stem Cell Research: At the Crossroads of Religion and Politics
18 Jul 08An overview of the stem cell debate in America examines the science behind stem cell technology and looks at public opinion trends.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

McCain's Lead Among Evangelicals Smaller than Bush's in '04
Religiously Unaffiliated Voters Strongly Favor Democratic Candidate
17 Jul 08Many white evangelicals remain undecided and Obama has made few inroads into this key constituency. But the Democratic candidate enjoys strong support among the religiously unaffiliated.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Should Women Worry Obama?
17 Jul 08Obama is doing better among young and independent women than either of the last two Democratic nominees, but many older Democratic women remain undecided.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Cell Phones and the 2008 Vote: An Update
17 Jul 08The latest Pew Research Center national survey, including a sample of 503 adults on a cell phone, finds that the overall estimate of voter presidential preference is modestly affected by whether or not the cell phone respondents are included.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Obamamania Abroad: The Candidate Can Expect a Warm Welcome in Europe, Not So in the Middle East
16 Jul 08By all accounts, Barack Obama will be enthusiastically greeted when he travels to Europe. But his trip will take him into less friendly territory in the Middle East where Muslims remain skeptical about the future of U.S. foreign policy, regardless of who is elected in November.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Belief that Obama is Muslim is Durable, Bipartisan – but Most Likely to Sway Democratic Votes
15 Jul 08The New Yorker magazine’s controversial cover has renewed focus on persistent public misperceptions of Sen. Barack Obama’s faith.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Gaffe Coverage: Jackson Tops Gramm
15 Jul 08Statements by two non-candidates steered the campaign narrative last week, but Jesse Jackson’s derogatory remarks about Obama drew more media attention than did Phil Gramm’s remarks about whiny America.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama's Black Audience
What Surveys Show About the Attitudes and Priorities of African Americans
14 Jul 08Are critics like Jesse Jackson more -- or less -- in touch with the African American public? A look at what survey data tell us about black attitudes and priorities.
Pew Research Center

Media Heat Wave
9 Jul 08A week of negative election storylines was led by the shake-up in the McCain campaign, Gen. Wesley Clark's comments and questions of patriotism. Thanks in part to his staffing reshuffle, McCain was competitive with Obama in coverage for the first time since Obama clinched his nomination.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

State Legislative Roundup: Sour Economy Limits Options In '08
2 Jul 08In a special to the Pew Research Center, Stateline.org provides its annual look at legislative accomplishments. It finds lawmakers shying away from major expansions of public health programs or preschool classes, short on highway funding and predicting even worse financial woes ahead.
Special to the Pew Research Center

U.S. Traveler Advisory: Where in the World Is the Welcome Mat Still Out?
2 Jul 08The United States has lost much of its global popularity in recent years. Yet trip planners will be glad to know that recent surveys show that the countries that Americans are most likely to visit are, for the most part, countries that like Americans.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Summer Rerun: Media Returns to Coverage of Divided Democrats
Hillary and Bill Clinton combined media coverage equaled McCain's total
1 Jul 08While differences between Barack Obama and John McCain over energy policy played a major role, most of the campaign narrative focused on Democrats' efforts to reunite the party.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Baby Boomers: The Gloomiest Generation
25 Jun 08Today, in their early 40s to early 60s, boomers are more prosperous than any other age group. Their tastes still rule the world. Yet this privileged and pampered generation is the most downbeat in America.
Social & Demographic Trends

Assessing Globalization: Benefits and Drawbacks of Trade and Integration
24 Jun 08Enthusiasm for economic globalization has waned considerably over the last few years in many wealthy nations, but survey research suggests that most average citizens around the world embrace the idea of a globalized world, albeit cautiously.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Spouse and the President Get Their Media Close-ups
24 Jun 08A key narrative in last week's campaign focused not on Barack Obama and John McCain themselves, but on two people whose public roles reflect crucial challenges facing the candidates--Michelle Obama and George Bush.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Global Anglicanism at a Crossroads
19 Jun 08Leaders of the worldwide Anglican Communion, gathered this week at their decennial Lambeth Conference, will deliberate the future of a church experiencing deep internal conflicts.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

What Limits Remain on Government Funding of Religion?
Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation: In Brief
12 Jun 08A recent case permits executive agencies to fund religious groups and activities without fear of constitutional litigation.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Gay Marriage Is Back On The Radar For Republicans, Evangelicals
But Overall Opposition to Gay Marriage is Less Than in 2004
12 Jun 08Overall opposition to same-sex marriages has declined somewhat but the issue has regained importance among some conservative groups.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Clinton Question Drives Coverage
Themes around “what does Hillary want” alone accounted for 29% coverage.
10 Jun 08While Obama’s primary win gave him the edge in quantity of coverage, Clinton was the driving force in a media narrative that focused largely on what she would do next.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Obama Backers Cool to Clinton as Running Mate
But "Dream Ticket" Draws Support From Key Democratic Blocs
4 Jun 08While a majority of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters (53%) favor a so-called "Dream Ticket," fully 54% of Obama supporters do not want Clinton chosen as his running mate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Media Pivot to November, Iraq Debate
3 Jun 08Campaign coverage was split time last week between the dramatic Democratic primary endgame and the developing general election debate between McCain and Obama on the war in Iraq.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Iraq Challenge
2 Jun 08Soaring concern about the economy has displaced the Iraq War as the top priority issue among voters. Ambivalent and contradictory public opinions further complicate the role that the conflict will play in the November election.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Middle Class Blues: Pricey Neighborhoods, High Stress
29 May 08When it comes to anxiety about family finances, an old truism applies: Where you stand depends on where you sit. Or, more precisely, on where your house or apartment sits.
Social & Demographic Trends

Mac's Back in Media Spotlight
The Arizona senator had his highest level of press coverage since week of Super Tuesday
28 May 08After largely being treated as a bystander to the Democrats' contest, the GOP nominee emerged as a featured player in campaign coverage. But that exposure is not always wanted or positive attention.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Edwards Rewrites the Election Story Line
Almost 40% of coverage reinforced the idea that the Democratic race was over.
20 May 08In embracing Obama less than 24 hours after Clinton’s big win in West Virginia, Edwards diverted media attention away from discussion of renewed Clinton momentum and helped refocused the narrative on Obama’s apparent inevitability.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Tracking China's Earthquake on TV and the Internet - Part II
19 May 08In a second dispatch, our Beijing correspondent reports that Chinese TV is back to being the voice of the government. Meanwhile, the internet has become a more wild-west version of itself, with a virtual explosion of content that runs the gamut from informative to creative, irresponsible, angry, maudlin…
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Tracking China's Earthquake on TV and the Internet
16 May 08While the internet proved to be a faster and more varied source of news about the disaster, Chinese television reports have shown an unprecedented absence of censorship: "The faces in these productions tell everything. The soldiers are young; the grief is raw; the eyes are desperate."
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Feeling Guilty: Americans Say They Aren't Saving Enough
14 May 08Most Americans at every income level and in every demographic group worry they aren't putting enough aside for the future -- but they're apparently not worried enough to do much about it, a new survey finds.
Social & Demographic Trends

Media Know Who It's "Gonna Be"
Clinton generated her highest level of coverage this year with calls for her to drop out.
13 May 08In a campaign with more twists than a Twilight Zone episode, the media all but officially pronounced Obama the Democratic nominee last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Widening Gap
9 May 08While Barack Obama's appeal to the young coincides with their increasing Democratic alignment, older voters do not show the greater allegiance to the GOP that might explain their relative reluctance to support him.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Race Factor Redux
8 May 08While the outcome of the North Carolina primary fit into a racial pattern observed in earlier primaries this year, Clinton’s showing in Indiana was less strong than would have been expected.
Pew Research Center

Religion in China on the Eve of the 2008 Beijing Olympics
7 May 08A watching world may find religious belief unexpectedly widespread in a communist country.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Hard Hats See Hard Times
Rising Worries About the Job Market
7 May 08While the latest statistics reported fewer job losses than analysts expected, the public is expressing increasing concern about job availability; but unlike in the 1992 downturn, such worries are concentrated in the lower portions of the income spectrum.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Wright Stuff: Obama's Pastor Corrals Campaign Coverage
6 May 08Last week, as Obama's controversial minister re-emerged into full public view, the controversy he generated made more news than either Hillary Clinton or John McCain.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

All the World’s a Stage
5 May 08Iraq, the war on terrorism, support for Israel and other key features of U.S. foreign policy continue to generate animosity toward America in the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. On the bright side, America seems to be winning the battle of ideas on some important fronts and improving U.S. image problems is not impossible.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Who Wants To Be Rich?
The Currently Hard-Pressed Put a Higher Personal Priority on Being Wealthy than Do the Well-to-Do
30 Apr 08Anyone who thinks that Americans worship at the feet of the almighty dollar should ask the American public. In fact, a new Social Trends survey finds only 13% of adults say it's "very important" for them to be wealthy, ranking this personal priority far behind six others measured.
Social & Demographic Trends

Democrats Division Unites Media
Post-Pennsylvania Spin Drowns Out McCain
29 Apr 08The week of the Pennsylvania primary ended with the prospect of a longer, tougher contest and with the volatile issue of race again occupying a prominent place in the media narrative.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Gen Dems: The Party's Advantage Among Young Voters Widens
28 Apr 08Trends in the opinions of America's youngest voters are often a barometer of shifting political winds. And that appears to be the case in 2008. Use the interactive tool to track generational differences in party affiliation over time.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Courts Not Silent on Moments of Silence
24 Apr 08An Illinois statute, now on temporary hold by a U.S. District Court, has given rise to the latest in a long line of constitutional cases involving required moments-of-silence in public schools.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

So, Just How Different Is Rupert Murdoch’s New Wall Street Journal?
23 Apr 08A Project for Excellence in Journalism content study finds that, to date, the newly staked out battleground between the Journal and Times seems to be located mostly on the playing field of politics.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Debatable Campaign Coverage
22 Apr 08Last week, a major part of the media narrative about the 2008 campaign involved the media themselves -- specifically ABC’s moderators for the April 16 debate in Philadelphia.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

No Clear Advantage
17 Apr 08Electability is an issue, and one that both Obama and Clinton are likely to use to woo the superdelegates. But our polling suggests that neither candidate has a demonstrable advantage to tout.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

You're Laid Off
A Worsening Economy Couldn't Come at a Worse Time for Many U.S. Workers
16 Apr 08At a time when the U.S. economy is faltering, one out of every seven U.S. workers -- especially those who have already hit hard times in the recent past -- fear they will be laid off in the next 12 months.
Social & Demographic Trends

Network News Signing Off?
Many Journalists See Uncertain Future For Nightly TV Broadcasts and Fault Current Coverage
15 Apr 08Speculation over Katie Couric’s future as anchor of the CBS Evening News has raised the broader question of how long the three nightly network news broadcasts will be able to survive.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

McCain Doesn't Get Most Exposure, But Can't Be "Bitter" About Media
15 Apr 08Renewed attention to Iraq benefited the GOP candidate, while Democrats seemed caught up in a game of gaffe ping-pong, with the media eagerly keeping score.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Where Trust is High, Crime and Corruption are Low
Since Communism's Fall, Social Trust Has Fallen in Eastern Europe
15 Apr 08A Pew Global Attitudes survey finds that social trust varies greatly among countries, but high levels are generally linked to positive social outcomes.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Clinton Punches, Obama Bowls, McCain Reminisces
8 Apr 08Obama attracted the most coverage, McCain's bio tour earned him headlines, but Clinton generated the clearest story line with her "Rocky" reference.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

That's What I Like About Me
7 Apr 08Obama's high favorable ratings are more influenced by how he makes voters feel than by specific characteristics they attributed to him. Clinton's image, in contrast, is driven by opinions about her own qualities.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Robo-Calls Now Top Type Of Campaign Outreach
Wealthy Democratic Donors Now Outnumber Wealthy GOP Donors
3 Apr 08About two-in-five voters now say they have received a pre-recorded call about the campaign. Meanwhile, Democrats are far more engaged in campaign activities than are Republcians -- including donating money to a candidate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

America's Catholics Occupy a Unique Place in the World of Religion
1 Apr 08U.S. Catholics occupy something of a middle ground between their more religious fellow Catholics in the developing world, and the less devout of Europe.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Clinton's Turn in Bad News is Big News
Bosnia Gaffe Makes Her Top Newsmaker After a Week of Dominant Obama Coverage
1 Apr 08In recent campaign media narratives, bad news is big news. Hillary Clinton's oft-repeated story about encountering sniper fire in Bosnia made her last week's top newsmaker.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Talk Show Hosts Agree Obama Speech Was Boffo Theater but Some See the Script as Unconvincing
28 Mar 08The usually fractious fraternity of talking heads agreed on one thing -- Obama's ability to put words together. They were less unanimous about the content.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

A Portrait of American Catholics on the Eve of Pope Benedict's Visit
27 Mar 08When Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the U.S. on April 15, he will be greeted by a flock that is undergoing rapid ethnic and demographic changes.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Few in China Complain About Internet Controls
27 Mar 08Many Americans assume that China's internet users are unhappy about their government's control of the internet, but a new survey finds most Chinese say they approve of internet regulation, especially by the government.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Why News of Iraq Didn't Surge
26 Mar 08In the history of the Iraq conflict, May 24, 2007 may not go down as a red letter date; but it marked a turning point in media coverage of the third-longest war in U.S. history.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

A Complex Speech Challenges the Media
25 Mar 08For an entire week, political prognosticators and pundits grappled to come to grips with Barack Obama’s sophisticated and mulitlayered address on race relations
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Fewer Voters Identify as Republicans
Democrats Now Have the Advantage in "Swing" States
20 Mar 08The balance of party identification in the U.S. electorate now favors the Democratic Party by a decidedly larger margin than in either of the two previous presidential election cycles including in some key swing states.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Attitudes Toward the War in Iraq: 2003-2008
19 Mar 08Ratings of how things are going in Iraq have improved over the past year, but a clear majority now say the initial decision to go to war was wrong.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Racial Tensions Roil Democrats' Media Narrative
But 'Client 9' Dominated Front Page Coverage
18 Mar 08Maybe the good news for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama last week was that the problems of another Democrat -- Eliot Spitzer -- generated almost as much media attention as they did.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

What Foreign Policy Agenda?
14 Mar 08Presidential challengers -- and the ultimate winner -- will face a public that is disillusioned, downbeat and partisan about foreign affairs but far from clear about what it wants done.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Tracking the Race Factor
14 Mar 08This week's primaries show that, results in Wisconsin aside, pre-primary polls may either over- or underestimate support for Obama depending on state racial demographics.
Pew Research Center

Clinton Gets Media to Turn Back the Clock
Even in a strong week for Hillary, the narrative turned on questions about Obama.
11 Mar 08In a strong week for Hillary, the narrative turned on questions about Obama’s toughness.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Hispanics Give Clinton Crucial Wins
7 Mar 08Latino voters lopsided support for Hillary Clinton more than accounted for her margin of victory in Texas, California and New Mexico.
Pew Hispanic Center

Seeding The Cloud: What Mobile Access Means for Usage Patterns and Online Content
5 Mar 08Groups that have trailed in "traditional" internet access are in a better position to shape cyberspace as wireless devices make it more accessible.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Combative Clinton Gets Media to Cover Itself
When Reporters Weren't Vetting Obama, They Were Questioning Their Own Treatment of Him
4 Mar 08
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Getting to Know Them
3 Mar 08If they turn out to be their party's nominees, both Barack Obama and John McCain need to educate voters about themselves in some pretty basic, and challenging, ways.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Putin's Popularity Propels Chosen Successor in Russian Election
Russians Prefer Strength in Their Leader, Economy over Democracy
27 Feb 08Opinion polling -- showing a consistent Russian preference for a strong leader over a democratic government -- suggests the outcome of Russia's presidential election is a foregone conclusion.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Democrats Dominate Media on Single Theme: Is Clinton Done?
Controversial New York Times Story Drives Almost All McCain Coverage
26 Feb 08While Obama's apparent frontrunner status claimed most coverage early in the week, the controversial New York Times story put McCain back in the news.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

In November, Will Age Matter?
25 Feb 08John McCain's age has remained notably absent as a campaign issue, but earlier polling data suggest it could become a big issue for the Arizona senator come November.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Hispanic Vote in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primaries
21 Feb 08As the Democratic nomination contest heads for a showdown in Texas on March 4, Latinos may be a pivotal constituency in a state where they make up a quarter of the electorate.
Pew Hispanic Center

A Portrait of Early Internet Adopters: Why People First Went Online --and Why They Stayed
20 Feb 08Technology has advanced and the size and composition of the internet population has changed, but the reasons internet users go online and the things they do while there have remained remarkably constant.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Obama and Clinton Tie for Coverage, But Barack Wins on Tone
Democratic Race Dominates Presidential Campaign Coverage
20 Feb 08The media narrative for the Democratic presidential race shifted dramatically last week, anointing a definite frontrunner and an underdog.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Global Views on Castro and Cuba
19 Feb 08Fidel Castro ends his long tenure as president of Cuba with international opinion mixed on the question of whether his leadership has been good or bad for his country.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Fast, Mobile Internet Access Adds to Privacy Problems
14 Feb 08Many Americans are jumping into the participatory Web without considering all the privacy implications.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Evolving Media Expectations Plaguing All Remaining Candidates
12 Feb 08The presidential campaign again dominated news coverage but the journalistic narratives were not really the ones for which any of the remaining candidates were were probably hoping.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Young Voters in the 2008 Presidential Primaries
11 Feb 08Beyond the vote, the exit polls point to interesting differences -- and similarities -- between younger and older Democratic voters.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Patterns of Distinction
8 Feb 08Super Tuesday revealed distinct – and somewhat suprising -- voting patterns across the nation that may shape the course ahead in the closely contested Democratic race.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Super Tuesday Results Suggest Race Card May Be A Joker in the Primary Deck
7 Feb 08Race still plays a role in U.S. politics but it showed up in surprising ways in tallies from Democratic primary elections so far this year.
Pew Research Center

Many Democrats Say Media Tougher on Clinton than Obama
Public Sees Candidates Focusing On Economy
7 Feb 08With campaign coverage dominating (including 76% of the cable newshole), nearly a third of Democrats say the press has been too tough on Clinton while more Republicans say the press has been too easy on McCain than the other candidates.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Where Men and Women Differ in Following the News
6 Feb 08A look at the public's news interests over the past year shows continuing differences between women and men in the types of news stories that they follow very closely.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

McCain Wins the Coverage Battle as Media Move to Anoint Him
4 Feb 08By generating more coverage than any other candidate last week, and easily outdistancing his GOP rivals, Sen. John McCain rode a media narrative of near inevitability last week. Plus, Sen. Ted Kennedy becomes a major newsmaker.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

A Look at the Numbers
1 Feb 08So far, the 2008 primaries and caucuses have been anything but predictable -- comebacks, fallbacks, not to mention surprised pollsters. But a closer look reveals some common themes that have emerged.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Do Blacks and Hispanics Get Along?
Yes, but Not Always, and Not about Everything
31 Jan 08In general the nation's two largest minorities think well of each other, but there are some important differences, a Pew survey finds.
Social & Demographic Trends

GOP Debate's Economic Focus Mirrors Country's Growing Concern
31 Jan 08But candidates' perceptions on economic growth and tax cuts diverge from overall public priorities.
Pew Research Center

Global Warming Falls Still Farther on Republicans' Policy Agenda
Just 12% Call It a "Top Priority"
30 Jan 08Republicans' concerns about climate change have fallen through the floor. Just 12% now call it a top priority for policymakers.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Clinton Finishes Third in Battle for Campaign Coverage (But it's Bill!!!)
29 Jan 08Although Obama's landslide win in South Carolina made him leading newsmaker of the week, he was certainly outdone in the race for media exposure by the Clinton tag team.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The South Carolina Democratic Primary in Black and White
28 Jan 08This time, the pre-election polls understated Barack Obama's support among both white and black voters.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Raising McCain
25 Jan 08Nearly lost in the blizzard of recent poll reports were the findings of a Gallup survey that the current GOP frontrunner, John McCain, might well give each of the two Democratic frontrunners a run for their money.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Clinton and Obama Lead Pack Again in Tight Battle for Media Attention
23 Jan 08But, thanks to press fascination with Mike Huckabee, Republicans overall generated more press than Democrats last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Mind the Gender Gap
18 Jan 08Does Hilary Clinton have a problem with male voters or does Barack Obama simply appeal more to men?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Top Conservative Talkers Rap Huckabee and McCain
18 Jan 08The most popular conservative voices in talk radio last week seemed to take sides in the crowded Republican presidential field.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Italy's Malaise: La Vita Non É Cosí Dolce
Italians' Spirits Are Flagging -- But Not Their Sense of Cultural Superiority
17 Jan 08Taken aback by critical depictions of their country's "collective funk," Italians' spirits are flagging -- but not their sense of cultural superiority.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Race, Ethnicity and Campaign ’08
People…Can We All Get Along?
17 Jan 08Race, ethnicity and politics can sometimes make for a volatile mix, but a poll finds that race relations in this country are on a pretty even keel.
Social & Demographic Trends

Clinton is the Big Winner Last Week in the Race for Coverage
15 Jan 08The resurrection in New Hampshire of John McCain's once-dead campaign did not translate into similar largesse of media attention.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The GOP's Unanswered Question
11 Jan 08Thursday night's Republican debate in South Carolina in the wake of John McCain's comeback victory in New Hampshire and Mike Huckabee's surprising win in Iowa raised more questions than it answered.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Getting It Wrong
10 Jan 08Several factors deserve exploration, but one should not ignore the possibility of the longstanding pattern of pre-election polls overstating support for black candidates among white voters, particularly white voters who are poor.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

New Hampshire Teaches News Media a Lesson
10 Jan 08It wasn't quite "Dewey Defeats Truman," but after the Jan. 8 Granite State primary confounded many pollsters and pundits, a key story in coverage of the McCain and Clinton victories was the media's proclivity to predict and pre-analyze the results.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Despite Progress and an Upbeat Pre-Election Mood, Ethnic Conflicts Have Long Worried Many Kenyans
3 Jan 08Despite economic progress and an upbeat pre-election mood, a recent Pew poll found greater concern in Kenya about tribal rivalries than in all but two other African nations surveyed.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

View from Pakistan: Before Bhutto's Assassination, Public Opinion Was Increasingly Opposed to Terrorism
28 Dec 07What the former prime minister's death means for the country's stability is highly uncertain, but it is clear that Pakistanis, while supportive of democratic elections and disapproving of militant extremism, remain highly skeptical of the U.S.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Death Penalty in America
19 Dec 07Religious communities have been deeply involved on both sides of the capital punishment issue. As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments in a case challenging use of lethal injection, a Pew Forum special report examines the history of the death penalty, arguments before the court and public opinion.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Primary Preview: Dynamics Differ for the Two Parties in Early Races
Personal and Tactical Factors Matter Most for Democratic Candidates, Ideological Divides for Republican Candidates
19 Dec 07For Democratic candidates, the decisive factors in Iowa and New Hampshire are personal and tactical; for GOP contestants, however, the ultimate outcome may be decided by the relative strength of newly combative ideological elements.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

What Was -- and Wasn't -- On the Public's Mind in 2007
19 Dec 07 A compilation of the top 15 stories in which public opinion played a significant role, and the year's most notable "non-barking dogs."
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Science in America: Religious Belief and Public Attitudes
18 Dec 07The combination of widespread religious commitment and leadership in science and technology greatly enlarges the potential for conflict between faith and science in the U.S.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

South Korea's Coming Election Highlights Christian Community
12 Dec 07The fact that the presidential frontrunner is a Protestant Church leader highlights the growing numbers, influence and religious intensity of South Korea's Christians.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

How the World Sees China
11 Dec 07Rising anti-Americanism in recent years has given China a decided image advantage over the U.S. But Pew polls suggests that perceptions of China's increasing military and economic power could boost anti-Chinese sentiment in years to come.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

How the World Rates Women as Leaders
5 Dec 07On Dec.10, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will become Argentina's first female president, joining 11 other female prime ministers and presidents. But a Pew Global Attitudes survey finds world publics hold mixed opinions about women political leaders.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Public Opinion About Mormons
Mitt Romney Discusses His Religion
4 Dec 07Mitt Romney's speech discussing the role of religion in American politics addressed a public among which many harbor doubts about his Mormon faith.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Immigration Takes Center Stage at GOP YouTube Debate
Public Says It Prefers Questions From "Regular" People
29 Nov 07In a format the public says it prefers -- "regular people," not journalists, posing the questions -- immigration emerged as the hot-button issue. Were the candidates' answers in sync with GOP voters' opinions?
Pew Research Center

Will Shared Concern about Iran Provide Common Ground for Middle East Negotiators in Annapolis?
27 Nov 07Chances for progress at the Middle East conference should be bolstered by the presence of Saudi Arabia, which is viewed as a key ally in much of the Arab world.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The View from the Other Side
How Republicans Rate the Democratic Candidates, and Democrats Rate the Republicans
19 Nov 07A survey finds no evidence that a significant number of voters are considering crossing party lines -- or voting strategically for the other party's weakest candidate.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Tracking the Traders
A Look at the Buyers and Sellers Who Make the Stock Market Go Up and Down
19 Nov 07A look at the attitudes of the regular buyers and sellers who make the stock market go up and down finds they are, among other things, even more likely to support the frontrunners in both the Democratic and Republican primaries.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Lebanon's Precarious Politics
Many of the Country's Sectarian Differences Do Not Run along a Straight Muslim-Christian Fault Line
15 Nov 07Behind the delayed selection of a new president, now scheduled for next week, lie complicated sectarian struggles, many of which do not run along a straight Muslim/Christian fault line.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Why We Don't Know Enough About Broadband in the U.S.
Networks May Be Global but Measurement Must Be Local -- and Government Agencies Need Help to Do a Better Job at Collecting It
14 Nov 07Many key questions about the information society require fine-grained, publicly available data about broadband deployment and use at the local level -- but government agencies need more help in gathering it.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Religious Groups' Presidential Candidate Preferences
7 Nov 07A new analysis of recent surveys show Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani as the preferred candidates among key religious groups. Giuliani, though, garners considerably less support from white evangelical Protestants than he does from white mainline Protestants and white Catholics.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Musharraf's Support Shrinks, Even As More Pakistanis Reject Terrorism... and the U.S.
7 Nov 07As American leaders from George W. Bush to Barack Obama talk tough with Pakistan about terrorism, Pakistanis themselves express fear and loathing of the United States, but reject terrorist tactics.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Karen Hughes' Uphill Battle
Foreign Policy, Not Public Diplomacy, Mostly Determines How the World Views America
1 Nov 07Despite the efforts of the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, America's image problems endure as foreign policy, not public diplomacy, is the major determinant of how the world views America.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Widespread Negativity: Muslims Distrust Westerners More than Vice Versa
30 Oct 07Muslims and non-Muslims associate a wide array of negative characteristics with one another. But there is generally more antagonism in Muslim countries toward the West than vice versa.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Turkey and Its (Many) Discontents
The Turkish Public's Opinions of America Have Hit Rock Bottom -- but Turks Don't Think Much of Other Nations or Groups Either
25 Oct 07Turkey is a key strategic U.S. ally but negative views of America are widespread and growing there. Turks also have low opinions of many other nations and groups.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

A Delicate Balance: The Free Exercise Clause and the Supreme Court
24 Oct 07More than a century of court decisions in this area have forged a ragged path from one extreme to the other, with permutations in between.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Broadband: What's All the Fuss About?
The impacts of high-speed connections extend beyond access to information to active participation in the online commons
17 Oct 07The impacts of high-speed connections extend beyond access to information to active participation in the online commons.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

A Portrait of Republican Social-Issue Voters
Though Much Courted by GOP candidates, Their Impact on the Nominating Process Is Still Unclear
15 Oct 07Though much courted by GOP candidates, the impact of this voting bloc on the presidential nominating process remains unclear.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

When Strangers Contact Teens Online
Most Such Experiences Are Neither Scary Nor Uncomfortable, but Certain Traits or Activities Can Invite More Interactions with Unknown Persons
15 Oct 07While the number of teens made uncomfortable by an online experience with someone they do not know is relatively small, certain traits and activities are more likely to attract interactions with unknown individuals, whether unwanted or not.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Thompson Stands with GOP Rank and File during First Debate
The Former Senator Stuck to Traditional -- and Popular -- Positions Among Republican Voters
10 Oct 07In his first appearance on a debate stage with his rivals for the Republican nomination, the former Tennessee senator stuck to very traditional -- and very popular -- positions among his party's voters.
Pew Research Center

The Right-to-Die Debate and the Tenth Anniversary of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act
10 Oct 07Similar measures considered in several other states have failed in the state legislature or at the ballot box, while polls show the country still divided on the issue.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Young White Evangelicals: Less Republican, Still Conservative
28 Sep 07An analysis of Pew Research Center surveys conducted between 2001 and 2007 suggests that young white evangelicals have become increasingly dissatisfied with Bush and are moving away from the GOP. How will these changes affect the vote in 2008 and beyond?
Pew Research Center

Dems Debate Iraq Withdrawal Timetable
27 Sep 07When debate moderator Tim Russert asked the Democratic presidential candidates if they would pledge to have all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of their first term, the leading candidates all declined to make a firm pledge. Are they in sync -- or out of sync -- with the views of Democratic voters on the question of an Iraq war withdrawal timetable?
Pew Research Center

Hobbyists Online
The great majority of online Americans now use the internet to pursue their leisure-time interests
19 Sep 07The Internet has become America's playground with the great majority of those online now using the web to pursue leisure-time interests from genealogy and collecting to gambling.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Case the Candidates for '08
The Pew Forum Database Covers Presidential Contenders' Positions on Issues of Special Religious Significance and Other Domestic and Foreign Policies
17 Sep 07The Pew Forum database covers presidential contenders' positions on issues of special religious significance as well as their stands on other domestic and foreign policies.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

A Nation of "Haves" and "Have-Nots"?
Far More Americans Now See Their Country as Sharply Divided Along Economic Lines
13 Sep 07Over the past two decades, the number of Americans who see the country as divided along economic lines has increased sharply, and twice as many people now see themselves among the society's "have-nots."
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Half Century After It First Appeared on the Dollar Bill, "In God We Trust" Still Stirs Opposition
12 Sep 07Oct. 1 marks the 50th anniversary of the appearance of the words on U.S. paper currency. The phrase, which is also the nation's official motto, has been caught in a broader controversy over just how high the wall separating church and state should stand.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

"First of the Fall" GOP Debate
6 Sep 07On Wednesday evening, eight Republican presidential candidates met in a debate at the University of New Hampshire. How did candidate views compare with public opinion on the topics discussed?
Pew Research Center

What Could Convince Americans to Stay the Course in Iraq?
The Strength of Conflicting Opinions May Shade Public Reactions to the Petraeus Report
5 Sep 07A look at the course of opinions about the Iraq war over the past few years suggests that two crucial but opposing factors in U.S. thinking will likely shape the public's response to the Petraeus report.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Fred Thompson's Online Campaign Is in Full Swing
At his website, I'mwithFred.com, the candidate-to-be is already busy reaching out to supporters
4 Sep 07When he formally enters the 2008 race this week, former Sen. Fred Thompson can behave in all ways like a presidential candidate. But on his "testing the waters" website, I'mwithFred.com, he's already been busy reaching out to supporters.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Black Enthusiasm for Clinton and Obama Leaves Little Room for Edwards
Clinton's Image Up among Liberals, Down among Conservatives; Obama Scores Best among College Educated
30 Aug 07The popularity of the two top contenders among key segments of the Democratic electorate may help explain why Edwards's populist platform has not drawn wider support so far.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Along the Iraq-Vietnam Parallel
A sharp partisan difference in public opinion separates the two war paths
28 Aug 07To many observers the most obvious parallel between the two conflicts is that, after early public support, disillusionment mounted as hostilities dragged on. But while the overall trajectory is similar, an important political difference distinguishes public attitudes toward the two wars.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

How the Public Resolves Conflicts Between Faith and Science
On Subjects such as Evolution, Many Americans Are Aware of -- but Reject -- the Scientific Consensus
27 Aug 07Polls show that Americans have a healthy respect for science. But what happens when scientific findings conflict with religious beliefs? In the case of evolution, religious people, who make up a majority of Americans, rely primarily on their faith for answers.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Two Decades of American News Preferences
Part 2: News Interest across Decades and "News Eras"
22 Aug 07In the second of two parts, Pew Research Center consultant Michael Robinson analyzes data from 165 surveys on audience news preferences to examine news interest across decades and describe how the public's news interests have changed -- or not changed -- over different news eras.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Religion and the Presidential Vote: A Tale of Two Gaps
21 Aug 07An analysis of national exit polls from 2004 shows there is not one but two religion gaps -- one based on religious affiliation and the other based on frequency of attendance at worship services. How did the gaps manifest themselves in the 2004 election and what are the possible implications for 2008?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Democrats Debate in Iowa
20 Aug 07Sunday morning all eight Democratic candidates for president met at Drake University in Iowa. How did their views on issues ranging from Iraq to money in politics match up with public opinion data?
Pew Research Center

Presidential Campaign Isn't Making a Good First Impression
Older Men, Better Educated More Likely to Be Critical
15 Aug 07The 2008 presidential campaign already seems to be wearing out its welcome with many Americans. A 52% majority of the public offers a negative assessment of the early-blooming campaign and just one-in-five has a kind thing to say.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Two Decades of American News Preferences
15 Aug 07Despite dramatic structural changes in the news media since the 1980s, the interests of news audiences have changed very little over the past several decades. Disaster News and Money News have been at the top of the charts throughout, while Tabloid News and Foreign News have been at the bottom. In this first of two reports, Pew Research Center consultant Michael Robinson analyzes data from 165 surveys on audience preferences taken by the PRC (and predecessor organizations) since 1986.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Democrats Address Gay Community
10 Aug 07On Thursday night six Democratic presidential candidates came together for a debate on issues important to the gay community. Candidates took on issues from gay marriage to "don't ask don't tell" and addressed a party whose rank-and-file hold ambivalent positions on some issues of concern to gays.
Pew Research Center

Democratic Candidates Labor to Win Union Support
Union Label
8 Aug 07Seven Democratic candidates met on Soldier Field in Chicago on Tuesday to address a predominantly union audience at a candidate forum sponsored by the AFL-CIO. How did candidate views stack up with public opinion?
Pew Research Center

Republicans Preach to the Base in Sunday Morning Debate
But Views Differ from Those of Political Independents, Democrats
6 Aug 07Less than a week before the Iowa straw poll, the nine Republican presidential candidates squared off in Des Moines. Candidate views generally mirrored those of the Republican rank-and-file, but were often at odds with the opinions of the general public.
Pew Research Center

Why it will Be Hard to Close the Broadband Divide
1 Aug 07The U.S. trails behind many countries in adopting broadband but narrowing the gap will be difficult.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Publisher Murdoch's U.S. Track Record
30 Jul 07In light of his apparently successful bid to buy Down Jones, what is Rupert Murdoch's record in the American newspaper business?
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Uploading Democracy: Candidates Field YouTube Questions
24 Jul 07Tuesday night's Democratic debate was widely anticipated for its groundbreaking format. Candidates took on a host of issues asked by citizens via YouTube videos; what follows is an analysis of the format and major themes of the debate as compared with public opinion data.
Pew Research Center

Is the Fairness Doctrine Fair Game?
A PEJ Backgrounder
19 Jul 07The rule requiring broadcasters to balance views aired on controversial subjects was repealed 20 years ago. Yet in recent weeks, debate about the Fairness Doctrine has re-emerged in media circles -- especially on talk radio.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Are Candidate Web Sites Propaganda or News?
12 Jul 07Through their official websites, the campaigns themselves are challenging the press as a destination for news.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

China's Online Population Explosion
What It May Mean for the Internet Globally...and for U.S. Users
12 Jul 07The influx of tens of millions of new online participants each year can be expected to have far-reaching consequences for the people of China, for its government and economy, and for the United States and the world.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Same-Sex Marriage: Redefining Legal Unions Around the World
11 Jul 07In many countries around the globe, gay and lesbian couples are seeking the right to marry or enter into other legally recognized forms of domestic partnerships. The legal definition of marriage is in flux, particularly in the developed world.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

How Muslims Compare With Other Religious Americans
In Intensity of Religious Identity, Not Unlike Evangelicals
6 Jul 07Although Muslims constitute a small minority in the United States, in many ways, they stand out not so much for their differences as for their similarities with other religious groups, especially evangelicals.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

"Frequently Asked Questions" about Pew's Muslim American Survey
The Facts behind the Design, Conduct and Analysis of a High-Profile Study
2 Jul 07A recent report, "Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream," attracted a great deal of attention but also raised a number of questions about the research. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Democrats Go Domestic: Analyzing the 6-28 Debate
A Comparison of the Candidates' Views with Those of the Public
29 Jun 07Before a predominantly black audience at Howard University, the eight candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination focused on issues of special interests to minorities including health care, education, taxes and racial discrimination.
Pew Research Center

Who Flies the Flag? Not Always Who You Might Think
A Closer Look at Patriotism
27 Jun 07For many Americans, demonstrating patriotism means showing the flag; overall, 62% say they do so. Notably, significantly more Northeasterners and Midwesterners fly the flag than do residents of the South or the West.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Capital Punishment's Constant Constituency: An American Majority
26 Jun 07Beginning with its temporary moratorium on the death penalty 35 years ago this month, the Supreme Court has changed its view of capital punishment more than once. The public, however, has not.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religious Republicans: Hanging Tough with Bush
GOP Presidential Candidates May Still Need Strong Backing from Church-Going Conservatives
22 Jun 07A dilemma for GOP Presidential Candidates: They're distancing themselves from Bush, but may still need strong backing from his faithful church-going supporters.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Bloomberg Well Known, But of Limited Appeal for Now
20 Jun 07Michael Bloomberg has created some excitement in the political world about a possible run for the presidency by dropping his Republican affiliation. But a recent nationwide Pew voter survey found that while the New York mayor is relatively well known, his appeal is very modest at this point.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Don't Blame Me: It's the Phone's Fault!
Many Internet and Cell Phone Users Find Devices and Applications Too Complicated or Hardly Worth the Trouble
20 Jun 07Many internet and cell phone users find devices and applications too complicated or hardly worth the trouble. Here are some ideas to address those problems.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Are Americans out of Sync with Economic Reality?
They're Far More Optimistic then the Experts about the Housing Market but Much More Pessimistic about the Overall Economy
20 Jun 07Americans are far more optimistic than most real estate experts about the outlook for home prices but far more pessimistic than most economists and Wall Street watchers about the overall economic outlook.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

How Serious Is Polling's Cell-Only Problem?
The Landline-less Are Different and Their Numbers Are Growing Fast
20 Jun 07The landline-less are different from regular telephone users in many of their opinions and their numbers are growing fast. Can survey researchers meet this challenge?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

What's Missing from National RDD Surveys? The Impact of the Growing Cell-Only Population
20 Jun 07The number of cell-phone-only households has continued to grow -- 12.8% of all households by the end of 2006, according to the National Health Interview Survey. While the noncoverage problem is currently not damaging estimates for the entire population, a study finds evidence that it does create biased estimates on certain variables for young adults, 25% of whom are cell-only.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Did Talk Hosts Help Derail the Immigration Bill?
PEJ's Index Finds that in Weeks Preceding the Senate Vote Failure, Immigration was the Second-Most Popular Talk Topic and that Critics of the Legislation Dominated the Airwaves
18 Jun 07PEJ's Talk Show Index finds immigration was the second-most popular topic from May 13-June 8, and airwaves discussion was dominated by hosts opposed to the legislation who often referred to it with the politically damning term "amnesty bill."
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Support for '08 Presidential Candidates among Religious Groups
18 Jun 07The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life examines the support for the 2008 presidential candidates among some religious groups, including white evangelical Protestants, white mainline Protestants and non-Hispanic Catholics.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Being Dad May Be Tougher These Days, but Working Moms are among Their Biggest Fans
13 Jun 07Most people agree that it is harder to be a father now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, yet the verdict is mixed on how well today's dads measure up -- about half of the public says they're doing a worse job when compared with fathers a generation ago. But, a majority (56%) of women say today's dads are handling their fatherly duties as well or better than in the past.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Darwin Debate
20 Years after a Landmark Supreme Court Decision, Americans Are Still Fighting About Evolution
13 Jun 07Twenty years after a landmark Supreme Court decision, Americans are still fighting over the teaching of creationism and other alternatives to evolution in the nation's schools.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

A Spiritual Network in Cyberspace
Beliefnet.com Proves a Successful Model for Combining Journalism and Networking
11 Jun 07If Beliefnet is not exactly a household name, it is an interesting experiment in online journalism. For one thing, its own turbulent history in some ways reflects the trajectory of the internet itself. For another, the strategy it has settled on -- a subject specific site that offers interactivity, networking and journalistic even-handedness -- may offer one working blueprint for the rapidly evolving field of Web information.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Legal Backgrounder: The Supreme Court Charts a New Direction on Abortion Jurisprudence in Gonzales v. Carhart
11 Jun 07A Pew Forum legal backgrounder examines the new direction in jurisprudence charted by the Supreme Court's April 2007 ruling that the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act does not violate the constitutional right to abortion.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Public Wants to Know More about Darfur and Many Favor U.S. Involvement
7 Jun 07As world leaders gather in Germany for the annual G-8 meeting, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur will be high on their agenda. Pew's latest surveys find nearly half of Americans believing the United States has a moral obligation to do something about the ethnic genocide there, and a modest plurality thinking the U.S. should send troops.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

¡Here Come 'Los Evangélicos'!
6 Jun 07Next week's National Hispanic Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. illustrates the growing presence and increasing political influence of Latino evangelicals. If Republicans have a prayer of making deep inroads into the Hispanic community, evangelicals may well provide their most direct route.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The 6-5-07 Republican Debate: Comparing Candidate Views with Public Opinion
6 Jun 07Ten candidates for the 2008 Republican nomination for president squared off last night in a debate held in New Hampshire. Here is a run-down of how their views on key issues stacked up against the attitudes of the general public and of self-identified Republicans, Democrats and independents, as measured by recent Pew Research Center surveys.
Pew Research Center

The 6-3-07 Democratic Debate: Comparing Candidate Views with Public Opinion
4 Jun 07Eight candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president squared off Sunday night in New Hampshire. Here is a run-down of how their views on key issues stacked up against the attitudes of the general public and of self-identified Democrats, Republicans and independents.
Pew Research Center

A Six-Day War: Its Aftermath in American Public Opinion
For 40 years, public opinion has consistently favored Israel over the Palestinians
30 May 07For 40 years since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the U.S. public has sympathized more with Israel than with the Palestinians almost regardless of the news of the day, through the making and collapse of peace agreements and attacks and reprisals by all sides.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Baker-Hamilton Redux
The U.S. public remains enthusiastic about the bipartisan proposals
29 May 07Four months after the bipartisan Iraq Study Group proposed a number of new policy options for dealing with the Iraq conflict, these proposals remain broadly popular with the public.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Four-in-Ten Americans Have Close Friends or Relatives Who are Gay
Survey finds Familiarity Is Closely Linked to Greater Tolerance
23 May 07A new survey also finds that those with homosexual or lesbian relatives or friends are more likely to accept gay marriage and oppose the firing of gay teachers.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Rev. Falwell's Moral Majority: Mission Accomplished?
17 May 07When the late Rev. Jerry Falwell disbanded the Moral Majority in 1989, he declared that "our mission is accomplished." If Falwell meant that evangelical Christians had come to accept the idea that organized religion should play an activist role in the political process, his claim of success is well-supported by public opinion surveys.
Pew Research Center

An Evolving Debate about Evolution
Long a Source of Controversy in States and Localities, Darwin's Theory Has Moved to the National Level
16 May 07The evolution controversy, traditionally a state and local issue, has vaulted into the national political arena, making a surprise appearance at the first Republican presidential candidate debate on May 3 and garnering a large amount of press attention
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Deconstructing the Debate 5/15/07
How Well Did the GOP Candidates' Views Match Those of Their Party's Members and of the General Public?
16 May 07A review of recent polling reveals that on most -- though not all issues -- the candidates are in tune with the majority of Republicans, but somewhat at odds with the broader public.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Presidential Politics and Mormon Faith
16 May 07Surveys show strong public misgivings about the religion and some 30% of the public say they are less likely to support a Mormon presidential candidate.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Are Americans Ready to Elect a Female President?
Past Statewide Elections Suggest Gender Is Not an Obstacle -- at Least for Democratic Candidates
9 May 07When evaluating Sen. Hillary Clinton's 2008 prospects, one question remains inescapable: Are American voters ready to pick a female president? A review of exit polls in statewide elections suggests that, at least for Democratic candidates, being a woman is not an obstacle.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Closeness to Troops Boosts Support for War -- but Not By Much
9 May 07Those with close contacts to servicemembers in Iraq or Afghanistan tend to be more supportive of the Iraq war but their differences with those who are not closely connected are relatively modest.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Can Secular Democracy Survive in Turkey?
Turmoil over a Presidential Choice Highlights Turks' Concerns about Religious Influence in Political Life
4 May 07By nominating an observant Muslim for the Turkish presidency, Prime Minister Erdogan inadvertently highlighted deep-rooted tensions about the role of religion in the nation's political life.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The GOP's Invisible Men
Democratic Candidates Dominate the News
2 May 07Heading into their first debate Thursday evening, what Republican candidates for the presidency need most is to gain visibility. The latest News Interest Index survey finds Clinton and Obama are far more visible, even to Republicans.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Surge in Support for Social Safety Net
Sympathy for the Poor and for Government Aid Programs Returns to 1980s Levels
2 May 07Support for government programs to help disadvantaged Americans, as well as sympathy for the plight of the poor, have surged since 1994 and returned to levels last seen in 1990 prior to welfare reform, with gains occurring among virtually every major social, political and demographic group.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Republicans Can't Possibly Win in '08...or Can They?
2 May 07Indicators of voter sentiment suggest most of the public wants change and may likely vote Democratic next year. Are aspirants for the GOP nomination wasting their time? Don't be too sure.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Pope to Visit 'Pentecostalized' Brazil
Survey Shows Growing Movement Threatens Catholic Dominance
19 Apr 07When Benedict XVI arrives in Sao Paolo, he will encounter a country where, a Pew survey finds, the rapid growth of pentecostal sects along with increasing secularism are threatening Catholicism's historic dominance.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

High Court Decision Could Raise Abortion's Profile in Campaign
19 Apr 07Although the court did not entirely eliminate the health exception, Wednesday's 5-4 Supreme Court decision upholding a federal law banning a controversial abortion procedure probably made the waiver less meaningful. This will almost certainly energize both sides in the abortion debate and put pressure on presidential contenders to take clearer positions on the issue.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Most Say Imus's Punishment Was Appropriate
18 Apr 07A new survey finds that Americans generally agree with the punishment radio host Don Imus received for the racist and sexist remarks he made about the Rutgers University's women basketball team. Nonetheless, there are substantial racial differences in views of Imus's punishment, and the media's coverage of the story.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Assessing the Imus Mess
12 Apr 07Even before Don Imus got the word that MSNBC and CBS had dropped him, a quick survey of the media coverage in the week since the veteran talk host uttered his infamous April 4 racial and gender insult suggests he will face a tough battle to re-establish his reputation and viability.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Money Walks
Republicans Are Losing Ground among the Affluent, Too
12 Apr 07The Republican Party has traditionally garnered it strongest backing from wealthier voters. But the recent overall decline in Republican Party affiliation nationwide has taken a toll even on GOP support among affluent voters.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Immigration Divide
Reform is a Potential Wedge Issue for Both Republicans and Democrats
12 Apr 07With his renewed push for a comprehensive immigration bill, President Bush is advancing a potentially powerful political wedge issue, but one with an unlikely twist: Immigration fractures the president's own party at least as much as it divides the opposition.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Culture War and the Coming Election
At the moment no hot-button issue looms but events could change that quickly
11 Apr 07No hot-button issue currently dominates in the presidential campaigns, but court decisions and other events could change that quickly.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Who Do You Trust for War News?
The Public Now Puts Little Confidence in the Descriptions of Iraq Provided by Either the Military or the Press
5 Apr 07Four years into the Iraq war, most Americans say they have little or no confidence in the information they receive -- from either the military or the media -- about how things are going on the ground.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Cruising for News: The State of Digital Journalism
PEJ's Annual State of the Media Report Provides an Interactive Assessment
5 Apr 07The Project for Excellence in Journalism's State of the Media Report provides an interactive tool to help users understand news options available on the Web.
Pew Research Center

The NRA's Image Improves as Support for Gun Control Slips
4 Apr 07Surveys taken before the Virginia Tech shootings showed that Americans had become less disposed to support gun control measures than they were in the years surrounding the Columbine school shootings in 1999.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Giuliani, McCain Lead Among Evangelical Republicans
23% Still Undecided
2 Apr 07The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life debuts its newly redesigned website with an early look at white evangelical Republicans and their candidate preferences for the 2008 presidential campaign. White evangelicals who are Republicans or Republican leaners divide their support between Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Strange Bedfellows: Why Are Some Religious Groups Defending 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus'?
26 Mar 07A recent Supreme Court case involving the free speech rights of students is producing some very unusual alliances. Christian conservative groups, such as the American Center for Law and Justice and the Christian Legal Society, are defending a student who was punished by his high school principal for holding up a sign that read "Bong Hits 4 Jesus."
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Nigeria's Presidential Election: The Christian-Muslim Divide
22 Mar 07The campaign leading up to the election is a reminder of the sharp Christian-Muslim divide in Africa's most populous country.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Iraq and Vietnam: A Crucial Difference in Opinion
The Military's Prestige Remains High despite Discontent with War
22 Mar 07While public opinion about the war in Iraq has followed a path not unlike that charted during the Vietnam War, one important disparity stands out: attitudes toward the military.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Trends in Public Opinion about the War in Iraq, 2003-2007
15 Mar 07On the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the public has turned against the decision to use military force. But views of how the military effort is going, while now decidedly negative, have been more volatile, and Americans have been slow to conclude that U.S. troops should be withdrawn.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Foreign Policy: The Public Sends a Muddled Message
No Clear Directions for Policymakers
8 Mar 07Opinion surveys find much in the way of public frustration, but little in the way of direction on the international and military front.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

A Verdict on the Media's Verdict on the Libby Trial
Not Guilty of Overt Celebration
8 Mar 07The jury has spoken in the perjury and obstruction trial of Scooter Libby that so intimately involved the journalism profession itself. We know the vice-president's former top aide was found guilty. But who and what else did the media implicate in its post-verdict coverage?
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Construction Jobs Expand for Latinos Despite Slump in Housing Market
Foreign-Born Fill Vast Majority of New Jobs
7 Mar 07Despite the housing slump, Hispanic workers find a ready market for their skills.
Pew Hispanic Center

How the Press Described that 400 Point Drop in the Dow
1 Mar 07"Correction" edged out "plunge" as the most used term, according to a Project for Excellence in Journalism search of stories on Google News for Feb. 27 and Feb. 28.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

How Reliable Are the Early Presidential Polls?
14 Feb 07As the number of declared presidential candidates grows, followers of early poll readings should bear in mind some caveats. Early frontrunners for the Republican nomination in most of the past seven open contests have gone on to win the nomination, but this year there are two GOP frontrunners instead of one clear leader. On the Democratic side, even when there is a clear frontrunner as there is this year with Sen. Hillary Clinton, the early polls have been less reliable in predicting who will capture the nomination.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Can You Trust What Polls Say about Obama's Electoral Prospects?
Two Important Trends Suggest Americans May Now Be Ready to Elect an African American President
7 Feb 07The strong showing of Democrat Barack Obama in early trial heat polls for the 2008 presidential election raises anew the question of whether the American public is ready to support an African American candidate for president. Recent polling points to two significant shifts on this question.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Election Newshounds Speak Up
Newspaper, TV and Internet Fans Tell How and Why They Differ
6 Feb 07If you ask political news consumers what they like most about their favorite platform for news, a vivid image of a typical TV, newspaper, and internet political news consumer will emerge from their own comments. All three media forms win praise from their primary fans for their convenience but the context for its definition varies.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Tagging Play
Forget Dewey and His Decimals, Internet Users Are Revolutionizing the Way We Classify Information - and Make Sense of It
31 Jan 07New internet features let users organize digital material their own way.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Top of the News: Politics, War, and a Crucial Speech
PEJ News Coverage Index: Jan. 21-26, 2007
30 Jan 07One not-so-subliminal message in last week's coverage is that of an increasingly dangerous and destabilizing world.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Election 2006 Online
The Internet Is Creating a New Class of Web-Savvy Political Activists
17 Jan 07A new poll finds the number of Americans who got most of their information about the 2006 campaign on the internet doubled from the 2002 mid-term election, and many used the web to become politically involved.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Iraq Policy Debate Dominates the News
But in a Week of Serious Events, Celebrity Coverage Held Its Own
16 Jan 07In the second week of the new year (January 7-12) Iraq policy filled 34% of the overall newshole and was the top story in all five media sectors -- newspapers, online, network TV, cable and radio.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Democrats in Congress Top the Week's News
The Debut of the PEJ News Coverage Index
9 Jan 07The changing of the political guard in Washington, the death of a president and the hanging of a dictator were enough to overshadow the war in Iraq in the American news media last week, according to the inaugural edition of the PEJ News Coverage Index.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Social Networking Websites and Teens
Over half (55%) of online teens have web profiles; MySpace dominates networking world.
7 Jan 07In the past 5 years, social networking sites have rocketed from a niche activity in to a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

The Complicated Politics of Free Trade
Unrestricted Trade Makes for Strange Political Bedfellows
4 Jan 07Crafting effective U.S. trade policies in an era of rapid economic globalization is tough. But the politics of free trade are even tougher -- particularly for Democrats, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Few Latinos Now Support the War in Iraq
Hispanics Favor Troop Withdrawals Even More Strongly Than Does the General Public
4 Jan 07Two out of every three Latinos now believe that U.S. troops should be brought home from Iraq as soon as possible and only one in four thinks the U.S. made the right decision in using military force, according to a new survey by the Pew Hispanic Center.
Pew Hispanic Center

What Was -- and Wasn't on the Public's Mind
...And How Opinions Changed During 2006
20 Dec 06Once again, public opinion played a major role in the most important news stories of the year. Some of the strongest 2006 trends in public opinion carried over from previous years -- notably growing concern about the Iraq war and mounting dissatisfaction with the performance of the Republican-controlled Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

There's a Robot on the Line for You
This Election Year, Voters Were Bombarded with Recorded Telephone Messages
20 Dec 06Nearly two-thirds of registered voters (64%) received recorded telephone messages in the final stages of the 2006 mid-term election. These so-called "robo-calls" were the second most popular way for campaigns and political activists to reach voters, trailing only direct mail.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

New UN Chief Heads an Organization That Faces Both Skepticism and Support
Surveys in 15 Countries Find Most Have Favorable Views of the Agency - Though Not in the Middle East
20 Dec 06When Ban Ki-moon of South Korea placed his left hand on the Charter of the United Nations and was sworn in as its eighth Secretary General, he assumed control of an organization viewed with dramatically varying degrees of respect, skepticism and indifference by the countries of the world.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Internet Users In Search of a Home
The number of Americans who have looked online for information about a place to live has doubled since 2000
14 Dec 06More than a quarter of all adults in the U.S. -- and more than half of 18-29 year olds -- have looked online for information about housing, double the overall number of Americans who had done so in 2000.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Civil War: What's in a Name?
To Most of the American Public, the Question May Be Largely Semantic
6 Dec 06A mostly insiders-only debate about whether Iraq is in a state of civil war broke out into the open last week when two major news organizations announced that they would henceforth refer to the conflict as a civil war. According to polling in September by the Pew Research Center, much of the public had already reached that conclusion.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Putin Popularity Score
Increasingly Reviled in the West, Russia's Leader Enjoys Broad Support at Home
6 Dec 06Is Vladimir Putin a new breed of postmodern, post-communist populist or an old-style dictator in democratic clothing? It's a question currently being debated with even more urgency as the investigation widens into the bizarre poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, a former Soviet spy and outspoken critic of the Russian president.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Turkey: Troubled Terrain for Pope Benedict
The Pontiff Visits a Country Where Negative Views of Christians and the West Are on the Rise
27 Nov 06The Pontiff's diplomatic skills may well be tested as he visits a country where negative views of Christians and the West are on the rise.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Parsing the '06 Latino Vote
Hispanic Voters Returned to their '02 Pattern in Supporting Democrats
27 Nov 06Widely cited findings from the national exit polls suggest Latinos tilted heavily Democratic in the 2006 election, taking back most of the support they had granted the Republicans just two years earlier. Does that mean the Latinos who flirted with the Republican Party are now firmly back in the Democratic camp?
Pew Hispanic Center

How the Media Did on Election Night
The 2006 campaign, and its climax, marked a transition in the news outlets covering it
27 Nov 06If the mid-term election of 2006 marked a transition in American political life -- the loss by the Republicans of both the House and the Senate -- the campaign also marked a transition in the rapidly changing landscape of the news media covering it.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Religious Groups React to the 2006 Election
Most are Happy with the Democratic Victory but Want the Two Parties to Work Together
27 Nov 06The religious divide in voting that has characterized American politics over the last several elections largely persisted in the 2006 election. But people in most religious groups say they are happy that the Democrats won.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Podcasts Proliferate
Some 12% of Internet Users Now Download Video, Audio and Text At Least Occasionally
27 Nov 06As the array of individuals and mainstream media institutions providing podcasts has expanded rapidly -- as well as the types of digital multimedia content available from the internet -- so too has the audience for downloadable video, images and text.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Virtual Space is the Place
A Ticket Out of This World Is Just a Click Away
27 Nov 06About 72 million people have used the internet to explore other areas, a 33% increase over 2004 when an estimated 54 million did so. On a typical day, more than five million people are taking virtual tours in cyberspace, up from roughly two million in 2004.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Europeans Debate the Scarf and the Veil
Except in France, most Muslim women choose to cover their heads -- but many among the general public disapprove
20 Nov 06Government leaders in the Netherlands reignited the debate over veils and head scarves when they announced plans for legislation that would ban the full-face veil. A Pew survey found that European publics are divided on head scarf bans.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

America's Optimists: More Republican, But Fewer of Them
20 Nov 06Since 2000, people have become far more pessimistic and partisan in their views about the country's future -- and their own.
Pew Research Center

Election '06: Big Changes in Some Key Groups
16 Nov 06In the aftermath of the 2006 election, the shifting allegiance of some important voter groups has gotten relatively little attention. One of the biggest stories is about young people. Another is what really happened to "The God Gap." And a third is about the one-fifth of voters who aren't white.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Bush Visits Indonesia
President travels to a country with volatile views of U.S.
16 Nov 06In Indonesia, where President Bush travels early next week after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam, America's image has undergone some dramatic ups and downs over the last few years.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Back to the Age of Local Publishers?
Hometown ownership stages a return to the newspaper industry
15 Nov 06One major trend of the last year is the emergence of private, local ownership groups returning to a prominent place in the newspaper industry. It appears that in several cities these private interests value newspapers more highly than the publicly traded equity markets.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Real Message of the Midterms
14 Nov 06A sweeping election tends to invite sweeping conclusions -- and the Democrats' takeover of both houses of Congress this November provides a tempting array of opportunities for exaggeration or misinterpretation. With that in mind, let's look at the major lessons to be gleaned from the exit polls and opinion polls about how America voted this November.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Democrats Made Gains in All Regions of the Country
14 Nov 06With roughly 95% of the votes tallied so far in House races across the country, the overall partisan breakdown is 52% for Democratic candidates, 46% for Republican candidates and 2% for others. In actual votes, Democratic House candidates in 2006 have already tallied nearly 5 million more votes than they did in 2002, while the Republican tally is down more than 3 million from four years ago.
Special to the Pew Research Center

Rating the Pundits
Which prognosticator was most prescient?
13 Nov 06With each election cycle come more websites and more political predictions. With a Democratic surge apparent and more competitive contests this year, the race among prognosticating pundits was even more intense than usual. Who fared best in the 2006 midterm elections?
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Centrists Deliver for Democrats
In an election that proved to be a referendum on Bush and Iraq, political independents cast the deciding votes
8 Nov 06The key to the strong Democratic showing yesterday was the support their candidates drew from moderate and independent voters, an analysis of the exit polls shows. With more than nine-in-ten Republicans and Democrats casting ballots for representatives of their parties, just as they did two years ago, the Democrats' 57%-39% advantage among independents proved crucial.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Concern About the Vote Count and Uncertainty About Electronic Voting Machines
6 Nov 06Public doubts about the accuracy of the vote count may have some significant consequences on election day. The problem is much on the minds of some political operatives who worry that it may discourage voting among some constituencies.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Democrats and Republicans See Different Realities
Profiling the Voters
6 Nov 06The vast divide between voters who intend to vote Democratic and Republican on November 7 extends well beyond matters of opinion. These voters also see the world quite differently.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Internet and Politics: No Revolution, Yet
6 Nov 06Political fund-raising, campaigning, blogging and YouTubing are all on the rise, but they're still a small part of the election scene.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Karl Rove's Ground War Challenge
1 Nov 06In an election environment which seems to favor the Democrats in so many ways, the Republicans continue to hold two strong cards; they have more money and they are better at getting out the vote than are the Democrats.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Voter Turnout and Congressional Change
1 Nov 06In recent decades, there have been three basic ways that turnout has worked to produce the sort of "big wave" midterm that the Democrats are hoping for next week.
Special to the Pew Research Center

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Partial Birth Abortion Cases
1 Nov 06Revisiting a set of issues it last considered in 2000, a U.S. Supreme Court that has since become more conservative will hear oral arguments next week in two partial birth abortion cases. The changes in the court's composition raise the possibility of a different outcome this time.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Can Safe Seats Save the Republicans?
26 Oct 06One of the biggest political questions in the final weeks of this Congressional campaign is whether the national trend in support for Democratic candidates is big enough to overcome the safe-seat redistricting that in recent years has led to fewer and fewer seats turning over in Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Cell-Only Voters Not Very Different
Fewer Registered, More First-time Voters
26 Oct 06Political pollsters continue to cast a wary eye on the growing number of Americans who use only a cell phone and have no landline. The Pew Research Center estimates that this group now constitutes one-in-ten adults. But three Pew surveys of cell-only Americans this year have found that their absence from landline surveys is not creating a measurable bias in the bottom-line findings.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Are National Polls Reliable Predictors of Midterm Elections?
The record shows that so-called "generic ballots" do a good job
26 Oct 06National elections are the high season for pollsters and with Election Day now less than two weeks away, new polls on the fight for Congress are being released nearly every day. Commonly, pollsters use something called the "generic ballot" to assess the state of the congressional race. Just how accurate is the "generic ballot" in predicting election results?
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Journalists and the Jail Cell
23 Oct 06After declining in the late 1990's, there has been an increase in recent years in the number of journalists sent to prison for not revealing confidential sources. This Project for Excellence in Journalism report documents this trend and analyzes the conflicted public attitudes about the journalistic practice of using confidential sources.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Evangelicals and the GOP: An Update
Strongly Republican Group Not Immune to Party's Troubles
18 Oct 06White evangelical Protestants have become the most important part of the Republican Party's electoral base, making up nearly one-in-four of those who identify with the GOP and vote for its candidates. This analysis examines the current state of evangelical support for the GOP, in light of the approaching 2006 elections.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Growing Number of Liberal Democrats
11 Oct 06About one-third of Democratic voters now describe themselves as liberal, an increase since 2000, when just one-in-four Democrats self-identified with the "L-word." Meantime, some 41% of Democrats now call themselves moderate and 23% say they are conservatives.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

From 200 Million to 300 Million: The Numbers behind Population Growth
Hispanics account for most of last 100 million
10 Oct 06The U.S. population will reach 300 million some time this month. This fact sheet presents an analysis, by race/ethnicity and nativity, of the 100 million people who were added to the population since 1966-67. In addition, the fact sheet breaks down the U.S. population, again by race/ethnicity and nativity, when it was 200 million and at the 300 million mark.
Pew Hispanic Center

Nerds Gone Wild
The 2006 Ig Nobel Awards
6 Oct 06Ceremonies at Harvard honor scientists who discovered why woodpeckers don't get headaches, why people dislike the sound of fingernails scraping on a blackboard and how many photos are needed to ensure that no one in the picture has their eyes closed. Plus declining teacher quality and the latest research into shop-a-holics.
Pew Research Center

Riding the Waves of "Web 2.0"
More than a buzzword, but still not easily defined
5 Oct 06This Pew Internet report provides a short history and description of the catch-all Internet buzzword "Web 2.0" and examines the Web applications it describes.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Digital 'Natives' Invade the Workplace
Young people may be newcomers to the world of work, but it's their bosses who are immigrants into the digital world
28 Sep 06Newcomers to the world of work may find that their bosses are strangers in the digital world
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Blue States Get Even More Democratic
Party ID: Red States Still Red, Swing States Deadlocked
27 Sep 06Red States Stay Red, Blue States Get Bluer, Swing States Deadlock
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Getting a Grad Degree in Cheating
27 Sep 06Researchers find that about half of all graduate students admit they cheated in the past year, with MBA students the most likely to say they cut ethical corners. Plus, studies of hockey thugs and the declining percentage of alcohol in liquor, beer and wine.
Pew Research Center

Bush's September Gains: A Mixed Picture
Little Boost for GOP in Generic Ballot
22 Sep 06Polls show little boost for GOP in generic ballot.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Who Do That Voodoo at Harvard?
21 Sep 06Psychologists convince test subjects at the famed university that they may have put a Voodoo hex on a disagreeable man. Also, new studies on marriage and Social Security, birth order and dirty diapers.
Pew Research Center

Politics in Cyberspace
As Mid-Term Elections Loom, a Record Number of Americans Look to the Net for Information and Guidance
20 Sep 06With mid-term elections approaching, record numbers of Americans are turning to the internet for information on politics and campaigns.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

The Devil's New Playground: The Shopping Mall
14 Sep 06Has the repeal of Sunday blue laws given the Devil a new playground? A pair of economists think so.
Pew Research Center

How 9-11 Changed the News
11 Sep 06Coverage of foreign affairs and terrorism soars; domestic issues languish and soft news holds firm.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Support for a Female Heir in Japan
Before Today's Birth, the Public Was Ready for a Change
6 Sep 06With the news today that Japan's 39-year-old Princess Kiko has given birth to a male heir, Japan's succession crisis has passed. But a recent Pew Global Attitudes survey found that a large majority of the Japanese public favored changing the law so that a female could rule.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Charting the Mid-Term Election
Late Summer Indicators, 1990-2006
6 Sep 06A comparison of key political and economic indicators that will help shape this November's mid-term election with the same indicators taken at the same stage of the previous four mid-term campaigns offers good and bad news to both parties.
Pew Research Center

How Often Do Members of Congress Tell the Truth?
6 Sep 06Not often, two political scientists found. Plus, economists say they know why tall people earn more.
Pew Research Center

Women Can't Do Math...Or Can They?
31 Aug 06A pair of psychologists devised an experiment to see if they could improve women's test scores in math by triggering positive self-images.
Pew Research Center

Democrats Face Ideological Split Over Wal-Mart
Attacks on Company May Turn On Liberals, Turn Off Moderates
30 Aug 06Leading Democrats have attacked the employment practices of Wal-Mart, but the party's rank-and-file is divided about the company. Liberals are negative, while conservatives and moderates have a positive view.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Parental Pressure on Students: Not Enough in America; Too Much in Asia
24 Aug 06Americans think parents here are too lax; Asians think parents there are too tough.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Does Immigration Hurt U.S. Workers?
24 Aug 06One of the questions at the heart of the immigration policy debate is whether the influx of workers from abroad hurts the employment prospects of U.S.-born workers. But it's a question with no simple answers, according to our analysis of state level employment data.
Pew Hispanic Center

"Remedy" Ads May be Hazardous to Your Health
24 Aug 06Find out why it might make sense to put health warnings on self-improvement ads. And learn what happens to companies whose CEO's are narcissists.
Pew Research Center

The Surprising Impact of Global Warming on Tourism
18 Aug 06Which countries will win, which ones will lose in the race for tourism dollars as global warming heats up. (Hint: Book that Mongolian vacation now.) And did embedded reporters slant the news in Iraq?
Pew Research Center

The French-Muslim Connection
Is France Doing a Better Job of Integration than Its Critics?
17 Aug 06When Muslim youths rioted in French suburbs last year, critics were quick to fault the French assimilation model. But recent findings suggest that the French can claim some success.
Pew Research Center

In Great Britain, Muslims Worry About Islamic Extremism
Concerns Pre-Date Airplane Plot
10 Aug 06Even before British authorities announced they had thwarted a terrorist plot to blow up airplanes, many people in Britain - including Muslims - were very concerned about Islamic extremism.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Male Lefties Have More of the Right Stuff
9 Aug 06College-educated left-handed men earn 21% more than male righties with college diplomas. But there's no wage differential between left and right handed women. Go figure. Also, find out why 2002 was an off year for girl babies in Korea.
Pew Research Center

A Do-Nothing Congress That's Done Too Much of the Wrong Thing
The Public Is Not Impressed
8 Aug 06Approval ratings and reelect numbers are way down.
Pew Research Center

Now in its Adolescence, the Internet Evolves into a Supplementary News Source
1 Aug 06Now, as the internet enters its second decade as a potent new information technology, a study of America's news consumption puts that adolescent's role in the media family into sharper focus and clearer context.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Lebanon's Muslims: Relatively Secular and Pro-Christian
But Support for Terrorism and Anti-Semitism are Widespread
26 Jul 06But on many issues, including terrorism, Lebanon's Muslim majority shares the views of other Muslims in the Middle East. In particular, Lebanon's Muslims -- as well as its Christians -- are strongly anti-Israel.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Wedge Issues on the Ballot
Can State Initiatives on Gay Marriage, Minimum Wage Affect Candidate Races?
26 Jul 06Democratic leaders, impressed by the purported success of GOP-backed ballot initiatives to ban same sex marriage in the 2004 election are pushing their own wedge initiatives to increase the minimum wage. But are such ballot measures really as potent as claimed?
Pew Research Center

The U.S. Public's Pro-Israel History
In Mid-East Conflicts, Americans Consistently Side with Israel
19 Jul 06A substantial plurality of the American public has been steadfast in its support for Israel as the intensity of armed conflict in the Middle East has waxed and waned through the years.
Pew Research Center

G8 Summiteers Inspire Little Confidence Around the Globe
Leaders Earn Generally Low Marks for Dealing with World Issues
13 Jul 06When President George W. Bush is greeted by his host, President Vladimir Putin at this weekend's G8 meeting in St. Petersburg, neither one can feel secure in the confidence placed in their leadership by the citizens of major countries around the globe. But the latest Pew Global Attitudes survey also finds that the other leaders at the annual summit also earn generally low marks for their handling of world affairs.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Do the Democrats Have a 'God Problem'?
How Public Perceptions May Spell Trouble for the Party
6 Jul 06Religion's Political Power
Pew Research Center

No Clamor for Amendment From Flag-Waving Public
28 Jun 06About two-in-three Americans fly the flag. Nearly three-in-four say flag burning should be illegal. Roughly half say it should be unconstitutional. But despite these protective instincts, there's been no public clamor demanding that Congress take steps to defend Old Glory against burners and desecrators.
Pew Research Center

Surfing to the Bank
14 Jun 06Some 63 million Americans now let their keyboards do their banking, as online financial housekeeping has burgeoned along with internet use generally. But the "trust gap" may limit further growth, especially among less financially experienced internet users.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Two Americas, One American
The differences that divide us are much smaller than those that set us apart from the rest of the world
6 Jun 06The differences that divide us are much smaller than those that set us apart from the rest of the world
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Optimistic Immigrant
Among Latinos, the Recently Arrived Have the Most Hope for the Future
30 May 06Hispanics in general, and recent immigrants in particular, are more inclined than blacks or whites to take an upbeat view about one of the most enduring tenets of the American dream -- that each generation will do better in life than the one that preceded it.
Pew Hispanic Center

Politics and the "DotNet" Generation
They may be more involved than you think -- and in ways that could change America's politics
30 May 06Not only is there evidence of a reawakening of young people to public life, but today's youth are politically distinctive in many ways.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Where Terrorism Finds Support in the Muslim World
That May Depend on How You Define It - and Who Are the Targets
23 May 06Attitudes toward suicide bombings and other terrorist acts directed against civilians depend more on where those activities take place -- and who they are directed against -- than on demographic or other differences among Muslim populations.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Iraq-Vietnam Difference
This time, the opposition runs strongly along party lines.
16 May 06This time, the opposition runs strongly along party lines.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Attitudes Toward Immigration in Red and Blue
In Democratic-dominated counties, foreign-born residents are more populous - and more welcome
9 May 06New analysis finds predominantly Republican "red" as well as swing counties significantly more opposed to immigration - both legal and illegal - than are predominantly Democratic "blue" counties, where immigrants are much more populous.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Problem of American Exceptionalism
Our values and attitudes may be misunderstood, but they have consequences on the world scene
9 May 06In an excerpt from their new book, America Against the World, Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut and journalist Bruce Stokes examine the major factors, real and imagined, that contribute to the global rise in anti-Americanism.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Will White Evangelicals Desert the GOP?
So Far, This Most Republican of Groups is Staying Loyal
2 May 06Although President Bush's approval rating has declined as much among white evangelicals as among the public as a whole, so far evangelicals don't seem likely to abandon the GOP this fall.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Attitudes Toward Immigration: In Black and White
26 Apr 06African Americans are often more sympathetic to immigrants - except when it comes to jobs.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Attitudes Toward Immigration: In the Pulpit and the Pew
26 Apr 06Church leaders and members don't always agree about undocumented migrants.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

When Facing a Tough Decision, 60 Million Americans Now Seek the Internet's Help
The Internet's Growing Role in Life's Major Moments
19 Apr 06Whether buying a home or a car, picking a college or a stock, or seeking medical advice, more and more people turn to the web.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Maximum Support for Raising the Minimum
Most Americans Now Live in States That Have Raised the Wage Floor
19 Apr 06Republican or Democrat, rich or poor, north, east, south or west, the U.S. public says it's time for a big boost for the lowest paid.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

In Search of Ideologues in America
It's Harder than You May Think
11 Apr 06Many Americans do not fit well within into either the conservative or liberal camps. Instead they find a home in one of two other U.S. political traditions, libertarian and populist, or defy attempts to pigeon-hole them.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Are "Wired Seniors" Sitting Ducks?
11 Apr 06Older internet users, even relative newcomers to the senior ranks, may be easy targets for viruses, spyware and the like. Younger internet users take more chances online, but they also take more precautions.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

God is Alive and Well in America
4 Apr 06Forty years after a Time cover famously asked, "Is God Dead?" polls find the Almighty thriving in the nation's collective consciousness.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Complex Tapestry of the Undocumented
Day Laborers Are Just One Strand
28 Mar 06Ubiquitous as they are in the public debate over immigration, day laborers are only one part of a diverse population of unauthorized migrants
Pew Hispanic Center

Pinched Pocketbooks
Do Average Americans Spot Something that Most Economists Miss?
28 Mar 06Beyond partisanship -- and behind those healthy economic indicators -- Americans may be seeing something that most economists overlook.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Can't Get No Satisfaction
Public's Current Gloom Is Out of Sync with Past Experience
22 Mar 06Public contentment with state of nation dips below 30%
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Mixed Trends in Religious Tolerance
22 Mar 06Will Muslims and Evangelicals gain the public acceptance that Jews and Catholics now enjoy?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Do Deficits Matter Anymore? Apparently Not to the Public
14 Mar 06The federal debt has escalated in recent years but runaway deficits no longer top the political agenda as in the 1990s, according to a new poll analysis.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Independents Sour on Incumbents
Many Say Their Member Has Taken Bribes
7 Mar 06Allegations of corruption are fueling political discontent among independents, who are unhappy with Congress in general and their own representatives in particular.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Both Reds and Blues Go Green on Energy
But Parties Split Internally on Environmental Protections
28 Feb 06But divisions within both political parties block consensus on eco-friendly alternatives to oil.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Youth and War
From Vietnam to Iraq, Generations Disagree About the Use of Military Force
21 Feb 06Neither hawks nor doves, America's youth are more willing than their elders to give both war and peace a chance. A new poll analysis finds that generational differences on the use of force confound the stereotypes.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Midterm Match-Up: Partisan Tide vs. Safe Seats
13 Feb 06This election year, two heavyweight political trends are poised for collision: GOP unpopularity and the growing power of incumbency.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Not Looking for Love
Romance in America
13 Feb 06Hold the heart-shaped candy; most singles in America aren't actively seeking romance.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Bush's Concern Over Isolationism Reflects More Than Just Rhetoric
Public Unenthused By Democracy Push
3 Feb 06When President Bush delivered a strong warning against isolationism in his State of the Union address, he was speaking to a recent and dramatic turn in public opinion, indicated by Pew polling.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Supreme Court's Decision in Gonzales v. Oregon
High Court Rejects Federal Regulation of Physician-Assisted Suicide
31 Jan 06The Pew Forum analyzes the Supreme Court's January 17 decision that the 1970 Controlled Substances Act (CSA) does not give the U.S. attorney general the authority to prohibit Oregon doctors from prescribing lethal doses of drugs to certain terminally ill patients who want to end their own lives.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life