2006 Publications

States Step Ahead on Health Care Reform
28 Dec 06Massachusetts has accomplished the improbable: It got Democrats and Republicans to agree on how to provide nearly every resident with health insurance. And it did so without boosting taxes or pushing aside private health plans. Other states – from Vermont to California -- are also trying to close the uninsured gap.
Stateline.org

Surpluses, Social Issues Mark 2006
Awash in Revenue, States Made Progress in Areas Where the Feds Feared to Tread
26 Dec 06Statehouses awash in surpluses ventured into new projects in 2006, from first-in-the-nation preschool for all 3-year-olds in Illinois to a space pad in New Mexico plus advances on such issues as health care, immigration, the minimum wage and global warming that stymied Congress.
Stateline.org

Season's Greetings
21 Dec 06Governors spiced up their annual greeting cards with a mix of sacred and secular themes, personalizing holiday messages with family recipes, Bible verses and even some original artwork.
Stateline.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Christmas Wars: Religion in the American Public Square
12 Dec 06Every year as the holiday season gets underway, debates break out across the country over the appropriateness of religious displays in public spaces. But the so-called "Christmas Wars" are only a small part of a much larger debate concerning the proper place of religion in public life, a debate that began at the nation's founding.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

Religion's Role in the 2006 Election
The "God Gap" Persists, but Other Gaps Are Much Larger
5 Dec 06Pew Forum Senior Fellow John Green and American Enterprise Institute Resident Fellow Karlyn Bowman analyze polling data to address such issues as whether Democrats closed the "God gap," which religious groups were "in play" this election, and whether or not religion polarizes voters.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Religion in a Globalizing World
Pluralism, not Secularism is the Dominant Trend in an 'Age of Explosive, Pervasive Religiosity.'
4 Dec 06Scholar Peter Berger argues that the peaceful coexistence of different racial, ethnic and religious groups has become a global phenomenon and the resulting emergence of religious choice is the best model for understanding religion in a today's world.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Israel and the Future of Zionism
Is the 20th century revolution of Jewish life an astounding success or a colossal failure?
4 Dec 06An American scholar and an Israeli journalist discuss the origins and evolution of Zionism and its implications for the future of the Israeli state.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

Legislating International Religious Freedom
20 Nov 06In a Pew Forum roundtable event, four experts discuss the wisdom and success of U.S. legislation that makes the promotion of religious freedom an explicit goal of America's foreign policy and ways to make that policy more effective.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

Mixed Messages on Ballot Measures
8 Nov 06Even as seven more states on Election Day joined the 20 states that already had passed constitutional prohibitions on gay marriage, Arizona became the first state to reject a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage. South Dakota voters overrode a law that would have banned abortion in that state; anti-tax activists failed to impose limits on state spending in three states; and minimum wage hikes passed in six states.
Stateline.org

Democrats Score in Statehouses and Governors' Mansions
8 Nov 06For the first time since 1994, Democrats won control of a majority of the nation's governors' mansions, wresting away five Republican seats with unofficial results of the Nov. 7 election putting Democrats in charge in 28 states. Democratic gains also vastly outnumbered Republican gains in the nation's state legislatures, enough to take control of legislative chambers in at least six states -- including the New Hampshire House for the first time since at least 1922.
Stateline.org

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

Election '06 - GOP Edge at Stake
6 Nov 06Heading into Election Day, at least a dozen governors' races and 14 of the most competitive statehouses are still up in the air, as Democrats aim to overturn the edge Republicans gained at the state level in 1994.
Stateline.org

Election Day Stakes in the States
An interactive look at the issues and candidates
6 Nov 06Check out the issues on the ballot in each state, find out who's running for governor and other state wide offices and see what's at stake in state legislatures.
Stateline.org

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

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

Longer Ballots Pose Many Questions
4 Nov 06Voters will be confronted with a near-record number of citizen-generated questions at the polling place Nov. 7. The questions range from the politically explosive - such as whether to ban gay marriage and abortion - to the quirky, such as whether to let grocery stores in Massachusetts sell wine.
Stateline.org

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

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

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

Historic Election Year in Gov Races
26 Oct 06This year's sweepstakes for 36 governors' seats is shaping up as one for the history books. Democrats appear poised to reverse 12 years of growing Republican gubernatorial power.
Stateline.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Pursuit of Values Voters: Religion's Role in the 2006 Election
A round table discussion
11 Oct 06In a Pew Forum roundtable conversation, Forum senior fellow John Green and two prominent journalists speculate that it will be difficult for the Republican Party to mobilize evangelicals to go to the polls in great numbers next month. They also discuss challenges faced by the Democratic Party in appealing to this segment of the electorate.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

The Vatican and Islam
Pope Benedict XVI Prepares to Visit Turkey
4 Oct 06Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to visit Turkey on Nov. 28-30, a trip that has already attracted exceptionally close attention because of the pope's use of an inflammatory 14th-century quote about Islam during a September speech in Regensburg, Germany. Pew Forum Senior Editor Robert Ruby examines the issues and challenges in interviews with George Weigel, an expert on Catholicism, and John Esposito, a scholar of Islam.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

Lenski on Exit Polls in the Coming Elections
28 Sep 06In an exclusive interview, Joe Lenski of Edison Media Research reflects on conducting his first election day survey following the death of his former partner, exit poll pioneer Warren Mitofsky. He also reveals steps that will be taken to avoid problems associated with the 2004 poll.
Pew Research Center

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

God's Country?
Evangelicals & U.S. Foreign Policy
26 Sep 06In recent years, evangelicals have helped to put conservatives at the helm of U.S. foreign policy, while focusing their energies on a few issues including support for Israel and promotion of religious freedom abroad. Now, they are showing interest in global warming and other issues traditionally seen as liberal.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

In the States, Maximum Activity on Minimum Wages
Minimum-Wage Hikes Sweep States
21 Sep 06An interactive look at how this hot issue is playing out across the country
Stateline.org

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

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

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

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

In Statehouses, 2006 is Year of Surpluses, Social Issues
14 Sep 06Minimum wage hikes and new rights of self-defense for crime victims have been popular with state lawmakers this year. Also, with a budget climate that's been the sunniest in six years, lawmakers have splurged on a host of new projects.
Stateline.org

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

Emergency Contraception and Moral Misgivings
FDA ruling puts pharmacists in crossfire
6 Sep 06The FDA's recent decision to let women over age 18 buy the morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription won't end heated disputes in state capitols over emergency contraception and thrusts pharmacists - more than ever - into the middle of the fray.
Stateline.org

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

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

Five Years After 9/11
6 Sep 06In exclusive interviews, Samuel P. Huntington says the current conflict between the Muslim world and the West could be far worse and Akbar Ahmed says current U.S. policies tend to strengthen the most radical Muslim leaders.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cable News: A Maturing Platform with an Uncertain Future
Industry leaders discuss what lies ahead for cable news
14 Aug 06A Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism roundtable brings together a panel of cable news industry leaders. Some predict the medium will adapt to the changing news consumer while others believe dramatic innovations are necessary.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

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

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

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

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

News Magazine Roundtable
The State of the News Media 2006
8 Aug 06In this Project for Excellence in Journalism roundtable discussion, magazine industry experts see change as not only inevitable, but essential if the publications are to continue to survive. But they disagree about just what those changes should entail.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

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

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

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

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

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

Can the 'Dead Tree' Newspaper Survive?
A Roundtable Discussion among industry experts
26 Jul 06In this, the third of the Pew Project for Excellence in Journalism roundtables on the future of the news media, six experts from inside the newspaper industry discuss its future, its fate, and the changes it must make to survive.
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 Rise of Shia Islam - and Iran
A Conversation with Vali Nasr
24 Jul 06The recent violence in Lebanon and Israel, together with the sectarian strife in Iraq and escalating tensions around Iran's nuclear ambitions, has drawn urgent attention to the resurgence and politicization of Shia Islam in the Middle East.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Death Penalty Today: Defend It, Mend It or End It?
21 Jul 06In recent years, the nation has debated the proper application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty. In this Pew Forum event transcript, four legal experts candidly debate the death penalty.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

Radio News Roundtable
The State of the News Media 2006
19 Jul 06Where does audio (or radio) lie on the fragmenting old media vs. new media spectrum? Can this medium, with its long, rich history, evolve to fit a changing information universe, or is it an endangered species?
Project for Excellence in Journalism

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

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

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

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

Mitofsky on Mexico's Standoff
6 Jul 06Dean of exit pollsters sees Calderon hanging on to lead and expresses confidence in Mexican election system.
Pew Research Center

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

Imperialism, Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism
A Conversation with Josef Joffe
28 Jun 06Has U.S. power stoked both anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Moved by the Spirit
Pentecostal Power & Politics after 100 Years
28 Jun 06What does the global rise of Pentecostalism mean for U.S. foreign policy?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

States Probe Limits of Abortion Policy
While Public Attention Is Focused on the Supreme Court, the Real Action May Be in State Capitols
22 Jun 06The U.S. Supreme Court may loom largest in the legal history of abortion in the United States, but state capitols from the 1800s to today have been the crucibles of America's evolving abortion policies. Stateline.org highlights the pivotal role that states continue to play in setting abortion policy.
Stateline.org

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

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

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

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

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

Islam and the West
A Conversation with Bernard Lewis
6 Jun 06The well-known scholar and supporter of the Iraq invasion gives his views on progress of the war, confrontation with Iran and democracy in the Muslim world.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

Addicted to Gambling
State Governments Now Depend on the Proceeds to Finance their Budgets
23 May 06Although a handful of states are moving this year to ban certain types of electronic gambling machines, experts say tax-averse states are growing increasingly dependent on gambling revenues while ignoring the social cost of problem gamblers.
Stateline.org

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

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

The 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

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

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

Is Massachusetts a Model for Broader Health Coverage?
9 May 06The Bay State's ambitious plan to see that nearly all its citizens have health insurance depends on some unique local conditions, but policymakers in other states are eying components that could be duplicated elsewhere.
Stateline.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Pentecostal Primer
19 Apr 06More than half a billion people worldwide now belong to "spirit-filled" or renewalist faiths. Find out more about the past, present and future of the world's fastest growing religious movement.
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eying Boomer Bonanza, States Woo Retirees
7 Mar 06As baby boomers search for the perfect place to spend their golden years, states - especially ones not typically considered seniors' havens - hope to grab a share of the retirement pie.
Stateline.org

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

State of Education: Who Makes the Grade?
26 Jan 06Stateline.org takes a look at the progress made by states on national reading and math tests since the mid-90s.
Stateline.org

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

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