2009 Publications

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

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

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

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

How the Economy May Sway 2010 Governors' Races
18 Nov 09The tax hikes that so many states levied to plug holes in their recession-ravaged budgets this year could endanger some incumbent governors' careers in 2010 when 37 gubernatorial contests are at stake.
Special to the Pew Research Center

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Faith Healing on Trial
1 Sep 09Two of government's obligations -- enforcing child welfare laws and protecting religious freedom -- can clash when a parent chooses to rely on faith healing instead of standard medical care for a sick child. Robert W. Tuttle, a church-state scholar, explains.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Obama's Favorite Theologian? A Short Course on Reinhold Niebuhr
26 Jun 09What is it about the famous public theologian that prompted Obama to describe him as one of his "favorite philosophers"?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can Science and Religion Co-Exist in Harmony?
22 Jun 09Two experts -- a geneticist and a religion writer and correspondent -- discuss why they believe the current perceived conflict between evolution and faith is unnecessary and destructive.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Recession Pounds States' Budgets
15 Jun 09Stateline.org's legislative review finds state budgets in such dire straits that they are closing prisons in Colorado and Kansas, raising taxes on the rich in New York and even taxing bourbon in Kentucky -- and the worst is yet to come.
Special to the 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Clash of Rights? Gay Marriage and the Free Exercise of Religion
20 May 09Although churches and other religious organizations, including charities and schools, have typically been exempt from state and local laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, it remains unclear how these institutions might be affected by new laws that require equal treatment for same-sex marriages.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Political Obligations of Catholics
A Conversation with the Archbishop of Denver
27 Mar 09The Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput argues that Catholics should take an active, vocal and morally consistent role in public debates, particularly on issues such as abortion, the death penalty and other matters they consider central to social justice.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

Before the Current Recession, a Phantom Recovery
Testimony of Pew Reseach Center Executive Vice President Paul Taylor before the Senate Finance Committee
26 Mar 09Pew Research Center Executive Vice President Paul Taylor's full testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Phantom Recovery
26 Mar 09The eight-year period from 1999 through 2007 is the longest in modern U.S. economic history in which inflation-adjusted median household income failed to surpass an earlier peak.
Social & Demographic Trends

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Losing Wealth, Finding God?
13 Mar 09Is the falling economy raising attendance at religious services?
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Tricks for Old -- and New -- Dogs
Challenges and Opportunities Facing Communications Research
3 Mar 09Pollsters and other communications researchers are finding their job ever more challenging but also more interesting, and, with the help of new techniques and data sources, even more amenable.
Pew Research Center

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

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

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

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

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

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

With Crisis As Catalyst, State Governors Push Big Changes
20 Feb 09Governors are using the economic crisis to sell big changes in how state and local jurisdictions operate, promising overhauls that could alter the face of government around the country.
Special to the Pew Research Center

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Look at Religious Voters in the 2008 Election
10 Feb 09Two experts examine the role that religion played in the 2008 presidential election and discuss implications for the future.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Higher Law: Faith-Based Hiring and the Obama Administration
3 Feb 09During his campaign, then-candidate Barack Obama said he would overturn the Bush administration's actions allowing religious groups that receive federal funds for providing social services to restrict hiring to those of the same faith. A scholar discusses the legal pros and cons of such a reversal.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Religion, Race – and Obama
8 Jan 09A religious scholar discusses the president-elect’s place in the nation’s historical tension between religion and politics and examines the role of black churches as well as the controversy surrounding the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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