Publications on Domestic Policy
This section features selected Pew Research Center reports (since 2005) on domestic policy topics, such as education and health care. Individual project websites contain more reports on this topic. Stateline.org, in particular, is focused on all areas of state policy and features original stories, a daily news roundup from statehouses nationwide, in-depth backgrounders, and more. In addition, for political attitudes about specific domestic issues, please visit Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
Two Perspectives on Gay Marriage
5 May 08To explore the issues raised by same-sex marriage, the Pew Forum interviewed former Sen. Rick Santorum, who opposes gay marriage, and journalist Jonathan Rauch, who argues in its favor.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
States Push Food Stamps for the Needy
14 Apr 08As the economy sputters, states are taking extraordinary measures to help people keep food on the table, and a federal program is their primary tool.
Stateline.org
Help from Hugo Chavez: Free Heating Oil for Needy U.S. Families
14 Apr 08Close to 200,000 poor families in 15 cold-weather states can thank Venezuela's controversial president for helping them heat their homes this winter.
Stateline.org
An Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
10 Apr 08The controversy ignited by the Massachusetts High Court ruling allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry continues to rage in state courts and legislatures as well as in churches across the nation.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
On the Court's Docket: Child Rape and the Death Penalty
7 Apr 08Is capital punishment for child rapists constitutional? On April 16, the Supreme Court will hear arguments pro and con. A legal expert discusses possible outcomes and implications of the case.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Govs Press For More Money on Real ID, Medicaid
25 Feb 08Meeting in Washington, the states’ chief executives made clear their unhappiness with federal standards for driver’s licenses and costly new Medicaid rules.
Stateline.org
Govs' Talks Target Clean Coal, Carbon Tax
24 Feb 08Governors have few doubts that global warming is a looming threat, but have some major differences about how to address the problem.
Stateline.org
Bush Budget Gives States Little to Cheer About
5 Feb 08President Bush’s $3 trillion fiscal 2009 budget comes at a time when many states face a budget shortfall; new restrictions on health insurance for children, Medicaid and other programs may add to their burdens.
Stateline.org
States Take Sides in Stem Cell Debate
31 Jan 08A Stateline.org backgrounder covers various aspects of the stem cell debate, including an interactive feature illustrating the main techniques used in creating pluripotent cells, a summary of ethical questions raised by scientific advances and a description of the evolution of related state policies.
Stateline.org
Look Out Below! America's Infrastructure Is Crumbling
22 Jan 08"Much of America is held together by Scotch tape, bailing wire and prayers," says one expert of the state of the country's dams, bridges, roadways and sewer lines.
Stateline.org
Do State Tests Make the Grade?
17 Jan 08It’s hard to overestimate the importance of standardized tests in public schools today, but differences in state standards and the reluctance of some states to spend money for high-quality, challenging tests have caused a great disparity from state to state.
Stateline.org
States Vie For Stem-Cell Scientists
15 Jan 08As the pace of stem-cell research quickens, seven big states are financing the science in hopes of attracting the world's best scientists.
Stateline.org
Report: Teachers Earn Less than Peers
9 Jan 08In 40 states, public school teachers fail to make as much as workers in comparable professions, such as reporters and insurance underwriters, according to a new report by the Education Research Center.
Stateline.org
In Search of Solutions: How People use the Internet, Libraries, and Government Agencies to Find Help
31 Dec 07A new survey challenges the assumption that libraries are no longer relevant, although the internet is now the most consulted information source.
Pew Internet & American Life Project
A Changing Racial and Ethnic Mix in U.S. Public Schools
White Students are Less Isolated but Blacks and Hispanics Are More So
30 Aug 07A new analysis of public school enrollment data by the Pew Hispanic Center finds that in the dozen years from 1993-94 to 2005-06, white students became significantly less isolated from minority students while, at the same time, black and Hispanic students became slightly more isolated from white students.
Pew Hispanic Center
States Seek to Dampen Text Book Sticker Shock
Returning College Students May Get Some Pocketbook Protection at Campus Bookstores
29 Aug 07Returning college students may get some pocketbook relief at campus bookstores as states and university officials take aim at some publisher and faculty practices blamed for raising prices.
Stateline.org
Beyond Foster Care
States Extend Help to 18-Year-Olds Facing Bleak Futures on Their Own
23 Aug 07States are trying to extend help to the growing number of "emancipated" parentless 18-year-olds who face bleak futures on their own.
Stateline.org
Florida is Test Bed for Medicaid Overhaul
18 Jul 07Halfway through a two-year test run, Florida's nationally acclaimed pilot program to introduce competition to its Medicaid program has met mixed success.
Stateline.org
Embryonic Stem Cell Research Divides States
President Bush's second veto of federal funding puts the issue squarely in states' hands
21 Jun 07President Bush's decision to again veto legislation allowing federal funding puts the issue squarely in states' hands – and some states are already vying to lure scientists and investors.
Stateline.org
Mixed Grades for a Federal Education Law
No Child Left Behind Builds No Consensus Among the Public About Either Its Strong or Weak Points
13 Jun 07As Congress prepares to debate reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, Americans express mixed views about the nation's signature education law. Among those who have heard about the law, 34% say it has made schools better; 26% say it has made them worse; and 32% say it has had no impact.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Legal Backgrounder: The Supreme Court Charts a New Direction on Abortion Jurisprudence in Gonzales v. Carhart
11 Jun 07A Pew Forum legal backgrounder examines the new direction in jurisprudence charted by the Supreme Court's April 2007 ruling that the Federal Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act does not violate the constitutional right to abortion.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Have National Guard Deployments in Iraq Eroded States' Disaster Response Capability?
Kansas' Problems in Helping Tornado Victims Less Severe than Initially Claimed
10 May 07The tornado that tore apart Greensburg, Kan., dramatized what could happen when a state's equipment is thousands of miles away in Iraq. But it now seems that Kansas' problems in rushing aid to the disaster scene weren't as acute as the governor first implied.
Stateline.org
Surge in Support for Social Safety Net
Sympathy for the Poor and for Government Aid Programs Returns to 1980s Levels
2 May 07Support for government programs to help disadvantaged Americans, as well as sympathy for the plight of the poor, have surged since 1994 and returned to levels last seen in 1990 prior to welfare reform, with gains occurring among virtually every major social, political and demographic group.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Abortion Ruling Sets New State Battle Lines
30 Apr 07Prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court's approval of a federal ban on partial-birth abortion, activists on both sides of the abortion battle are aiming their sights at state capitols, where new campaigns already are under way.
Stateline.org
States Wax Fluorescent
26 Apr 07Lawmakers in at least seven states want to ban ordinary light bulbs in favor of longer-lasting, energy-efficient compact fluorescents.
Stateline.org
Va. Tech Shootings Produce Little Boost for Gun Control
Public Also Divided About Causes of Massacre
23 Apr 07Six-in-ten Americans say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 32% give priority to protecting Americans' right to own guns. But a 55% majority opposes a ban on the sale of handguns.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
High Court Decision Could Raise Abortion's Profile in Campaign
19 Apr 07Although the court did not entirely eliminate the health exception, Wednesday's 5-4 Supreme Court decision upholding a federal law banning a controversial abortion procedure probably made the waiver less meaningful. This will almost certainly energize both sides in the abortion debate and put pressure on presidential contenders to take clearer positions on the issue.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
After the Tragedy: Va. Tech Shootings Revive Debate over Gun Control
17 Apr 07The rampage at the Blacksburg, Va., campus touched a nerve over gun safety on college campuses, including among Virginia lawmakers who had recently sparred over a firearms ban.
Stateline.org
Vouchers See Mixed Success This Session
9 Apr 07After a string of successes, voucher advocates see setbacks in this year's legislative session.
Stateline.org
The NRA's Image Improves as Support for Gun Control Slips
4 Apr 07Surveys taken before the Virginia Tech shootings showed that Americans had become less disposed to support gun control measures than they were in the years surrounding the Columbine school shootings in 1999.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Quick Cancer Vaccine Mandate Stirs Controversy
2 Apr 07The new cervical cancer vaccine has ignited debate over teen sex, lobbying and the role of states in mandating vaccines as well as some medical concerns.
Stateline.org
Trends in Attitudes Toward Religion and Social Issues: 1987-2007
22 Mar 07As the '08 elections approach, what are the views of Republicans, Democrats and the general public on "social values" issues? And how have they changed over time?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007
Political Landscape More Favorable To Democrats
22 Mar 07Increased public support for the social safety net, signs of growing public concern about income inequality, and a diminished appetite for assertive national security policies have improved the political landscape for the Democrats as the 2008 presidential campaign gets underway.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Death Penalty on Hold
Role of Doctors in Lethal Injections Is Forcing Reexamination of Capital Punishment in Many States
21 Mar 07After 897 executions by lethal injection over the past 25 years, the role of doctors in carrying out the death penalty is surfacing as the latest ethical issue to force a re-examination of capital punishment in the United States.
Stateline.org
Same-Sex Marriage in California: Legal and Political Prospects
28 Feb 07Experts debate a pending state Supreme Court decision and the larger societal issues involved.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
War Support Slips, Fewer See Positive Outcome
New Poll Also Finds Growing Pessimism about Deficit, Rich-Poor Gap
15 Feb 07Two-thirds of the public now says that the U.S. military effort in Iraq is not going well, reflecting a sharp increase in the last year. And most say the country is also losing ground in problem areas from the federal budget to corruption to the environment.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
How Many Kids Will Congress Cover?
15 Feb 07The federally assisted State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) has substantially reduced the number of American children without health coverage; advocates in Congress and governors of both parties, see the program as the foundation for universal health coverage. But the Bush administration is calling for cutbacks.
Stateline.org
Lake Wobegon, U.S.A.
Where All the Children Are Above Average - At Least by Their Schools' Ways of Counting
31 Jan 07Huge discrepancies exist between student scores on state-designed tests and on national tests.
Stateline.org
Bush Builds on States' Agenda
24 Jan 07It's too soon to know how far the new Congress might go in accepting the president's State of the Union proposals on health care, energy, immigration and education, but states aren't waiting to find out - they've taken the lead on these domestic issues.
Stateline.org
Broad Support for Political Compromise in Washington
But Many Are Hesitant to Yield on Contentious Issues
22 Jan 07A large majority of the American public thinks the country is more politically polarized than in the past, and an even greater number expresses a strong desire for political compromise. Fully three-quarters say they like political leaders who are willing to compromise, compared with 21% who see this as a negative trait.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Lethal Injection on Trial
Already on hold in 12 states, the death penalty faces further attacks in courts and legislatures this year
17 Jan 07Already effectively on hold in 12 states, the death penalty will come under further attack in state legislatures and courts this year. In particular, lethal injection, once seen as a more humane alternative to the gas chamber, electric chair, firing squad or gallows now faces serious challenges.
Stateline.org
Are You a Citizen? Prove It
8 Jan 07Worries about voter fraud, terrorism and illegal immigration are driving a surge in stiff new identification requirements. To weed out those who aren't citizens, all Americans increasingly need a paper trail to qualify for some of the perks of citizenship -- from driver's licenses to Medicaid help.
Stateline.org
Seeking Health Online
Most of the millions of Americans who turn to the web for health information are pleased by what they find - though few check the quality check of what they find
1 Nov 06Most of the millions of Americans who turn to the web for health information are pleased by what they find -- though few check the quality of the information.
Pew Internet & American Life Project
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Partial Birth Abortion Cases
1 Nov 06Revisiting a set of issues it last considered in 2000, a U.S. Supreme Court that has since become more conservative will hear oral arguments next week in two partial birth abortion cases. The changes in the court's composition raise the possibility of a different outcome this time.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
The Changing Landscape of American Public Education
New Students, New Schools
5 Oct 06Public school enrollment in the U.S. has risen sharply since the early 1990s, with Hispanic students accounting for about two-thirds of the increase. The growth has triggered a surge in new school construction, but two-thirds of the new facilities are not serving Hispanic students.
Pew Hispanic Center
41.9 Million and Counting
A Statistical View of Hispanics at Mid-Decade
28 Sep 06A statistical view of Hispanics at mid-decade
Pew Hispanic Center
Working After Retirement: The Gap Between Expectations and Reality
21 Sep 06A new Pew Social Trends survey finds a yawning gap between the expectations of today's workers, more than three-quarters of whom believe they will work for pay even after they retire, and current retirees, just 12% of whom are actually working for pay right now.
Pew Research Center
In the States, Maximum Activity on Minimum Wages
Minimum-Wage Hikes Sweep States
21 Sep 06An interactive look at how this hot issue is playing out across the country
Stateline.org
In Statehouses, 2006 is Year of Surpluses, Social Issues
14 Sep 06Minimum wage hikes and new rights of self-defense for crime victims have been popular with state lawmakers this year. Also, with a budget climate that's been the sunniest in six years, lawmakers have splurged on a host of new projects.
Stateline.org
The Devil's New Playground: The Shopping Mall
14 Sep 06Has the repeal of Sunday blue laws given the Devil a new playground? A pair of economists think so.
Pew Research Center
Emergency Contraception and Moral Misgivings
FDA ruling puts pharmacists in crossfire
6 Sep 06The FDA's recent decision to let women over age 18 buy the morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription won't end heated disputes in state capitols over emergency contraception and thrusts pharmacists - more than ever - into the middle of the fray.
Stateline.org
Parental Pressure on Students: Not Enough in America; Too Much in Asia
24 Aug 06Americans think parents here are too lax; Asians think parents there are too tough.
Pew Global Attitudes Project
Does Immigration Hurt U.S. Workers?
24 Aug 06One of the questions at the heart of the immigration policy debate is whether the influx of workers from abroad hurts the employment prospects of U.S.-born workers. But it's a question with no simple answers, according to our analysis of state level employment data.
Pew Hispanic Center
The Death Penalty Today: Defend It, Mend It or End It?
21 Jul 06In recent years, the nation has debated the proper application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty. In this Pew Forum event transcript, four legal experts candidly debate the death penalty.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
No Clamor for Amendment From Flag-Waving Public
28 Jun 06About two-in-three Americans fly the flag. Nearly three-in-four say flag burning should be illegal. Roughly half say it should be unconstitutional. But despite these protective instincts, there's been no public clamor demanding that Congress take steps to defend Old Glory against burners and desecrators.
Pew Research Center
States Probe Limits of Abortion Policy
While Public Attention Is Focused on the Supreme Court, the Real Action May Be in State Capitols
22 Jun 06The U.S. Supreme Court may loom largest in the legal history of abortion in the United States, but state capitols from the 1800s to today have been the crucibles of America's evolving abortion policies. Stateline.org highlights the pivotal role that states continue to play in setting abortion policy.
Stateline.org
Addicted to Gambling
State Governments Now Depend on the Proceeds to Finance their Budgets
23 May 06Although a handful of states are moving this year to ban certain types of electronic gambling machines, experts say tax-averse states are growing increasingly dependent on gambling revenues while ignoring the social cost of problem gamblers.
Stateline.org
Is Massachusetts a Model for Broader Health Coverage?
9 May 06The Bay State's ambitious plan to see that nearly all its citizens have health insurance depends on some unique local conditions, but policymakers in other states are eying components that could be duplicated elsewhere.
Stateline.org
Finding Answers Online In Sickness and In Health
2 May 06Americans rely on the internet for important health information now more than ever and many say it's their most important source of help when illness strikes.
Pew Internet & American Life Project
Maximum Support for Raising the Minimum
Most Americans Now Live in States That Have Raised the Wage Floor
19 Apr 06Republican or Democrat, rich or poor, north, east, south or west, the U.S. public says it's time for a big boost for the lowest paid.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
A Barometer of Modern Morals
Sex, Drugs, and the 1040
28 Mar 06Cheating on your taxes, cheating on your spouse and other questions of right and wrong
Pew Research Center
Diminishing Divide on Cultural Issues?
Opposition to Gay Marriage, Adoption and Military Service Declines
22 Mar 06Even as divisive policy debates continue, public acceptance of homosexual marriage, adoption and military has increased.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Do Deficits Matter Anymore? Apparently Not to the Public
14 Mar 06The federal debt has escalated in recent years but runaway deficits no longer top the political agenda as in the 1990s, according to a new poll analysis.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
States, Flush with Cash, Still Face Tough Issues
13 Feb 06From Medicaid to immigration, state lawmakers grapple with contentious issues as elections loom.
Stateline.org
Supreme Court's Decision in Gonzales v. Oregon
High Court Rejects Federal Regulation of Physician-Assisted Suicide
31 Jan 06The Pew Forum analyzes the Supreme Court's January 17 decision that the 1970 Controlled Substances Act (CSA) does not give the U.S. attorney general the authority to prohibit Oregon doctors from prescribing lethal doses of drugs to certain terminally ill patients who want to end their own lives.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
State of Education: Who Makes the Grade?
26 Jan 06Stateline.org takes a look at the progress made by states on national reading and math tests since the mid-90s.
Stateline.org
Mapping the Political Landscape 2005
1 Sep 05The Center's report offers a richly textured portrait of the American electorate, including a new analysis of 2004 election returns that reveals the congruence between where people live and how they vote.
Pew Research Center