Publications on Global Attitudes/Foreign Affairs

This section features selected Pew Research Center reports (since 2005) on international public opinion and U.S. public opinion on national security and other foreign policy issues. Individual project websites contain more reports related to this topic. In particular, the Pew Global Attitudes Project website contains international public opinion data drawn from more than 100,000 interviews in more than 50 countries. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press contains reports and analysis related to U.S public opinion on foreign policy issues. The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life provides survey research, demographic reports and other publications related to religion in the world.

Public Priorities: Deficit Rising, Terrorism Slipping
Tough Stance on Iran Endorsed
23 Jan 12As the State of the Union approaches, the economy continues to be the public's top priority. Fully 86% say that strengthening the economy should be a top priority for the president and Congress this year, and 82% rate improving the job situation as a top priority.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Year in the News 2011
Coverage of Economy and International News Jump in a Year of Major Breaking Stories
21 Dec 11This year, the faltering U.S. economy was the No. 1 story in the American news media, but 2011 was also characterized by a jump of more than a third in coverage of international news.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Texting, Social Networking Popular Worldwide
20 Dec 11Two kinds of digital communication that have grown increasingly popular in the United States -- sending text messages and using social networking sites -- are also popular around the world.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

An ‘Iron Hand’ Is No Substitute For Democracy
6 Dec 11The experience of the former Soviet Union's struggles to make the transition to a more open society holds an important lesson for the Middle East, a region in which the democratic tide still swells despite panicked opposition from some and the efforts of others to regulate its tempo.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Confidence in Democracy and Capitalism Wanes in Former Soviet Union
Twenty Years Later
5 Dec 11Two decades after the Soviet Union's collapse, Russians, Ukrainians, and Lithuanians are unhappy with the direction of their countries and disillusioned with the state of their politics. Enthusiasm for democracy and capitalism has waned considerably and most believe the changes that have taken place have had a negative impact on many aspects of public life.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Obama Job Approval Edges Up, GOP Contest Remains Fluid
Lackluster Ratings for Republican Field Continue
17 Nov 11President Barack Obama's job rating has improved modestly over the past month, although few Americans approve of the way he is handling the economy. In addition, a majority of Americans continue to hold a favorable personal opinion of Obama. This is not the case for his main GOP rivals, whom he mostly bests in test election measures.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The American-Western European Values Gap
American Exceptionalism Subsides
17 Nov 11Americans' values differ significantly from those of their Western Europeans counterparts. Although this gap is long-standing, current polling shows Americans coming closer to Europeans in not seeing their culture as superior to others.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

What the Public Knows - In Words and Pictures
7 Nov 11The Pew Research Center News IQ tests the public's knowledge of prominent people and major events in the news. The latest survey used multiple-choice items as well as photographs, maps and symbols in its 19 questions.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Generation Gap and the 2012 Election
Angry Silents, Disengaged Millennials
3 Nov 11In the last four national elections, generation has mattered more in American elections than it has in decades. This continues to be true as voters look ahead toward the 2012 general election. In a contest between President Obama and Mitt Romney, there is a 20-point gap in support for Obama between Millennials and the over-65 Silent generation.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Tea Party on Foreign Policy: Strong on Defense and Israel, Tough on China
7 Oct 11The Tea Party has emerged as a political force on domestic issues, but Republican supporters of the movement have a distinct approach to national security and the U.S. role in the world. Tea Party Republicans favor an assertive foreign policy, are strong supporters of Israel and take a hard line against illegal immigration.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Libya: Steady Views, Declining Interest
8 Sep 11Despite the apparent success of NATO-supported rebel troops, public views about the decision to conduct air strikes in Libya remain mixed and have changed little since the U.S. and allies launched military operations there in late March.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

From Hyperpower to Declining Power
Changing Global Perceptions of the U.S. in the Post-Sept. 11 Era
7 Sep 11Early in the post-Sept. 11 era, the projection of American military strength led to pervasive fears of an unleashed, and unchecked, hyperpower. More recently, however, the global financial crisis has turned the spotlight to America’s declining economic prowess and perceptions of a great power in decline.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Crime and Drug Cartels Top Concerns in Mexico
Fewer Than Half See Progress in Drug War
31 Aug 11Less than half of Mexicans believe that their government is making progress in its campaign against the nation's drug cartels, according to a new survey. But a big majority still supports the government's use of the army to fight drug traffickers.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Muslim Americans: No Signs of Growth in Alienation or Support for Extremism
Mainstream and Moderate Attitudes
30 Aug 11While a majority of Muslim Americans say they have endured suspicion and enhanced scrutiny since the 9/11 attacks nearly 10 years ago, a wide-ranging survey finds no indication of increased alienation and anger or rising support for Islamic extremism. On the contrary, majorities of Muslim Americans express concern about the possible rise of Islamic extremism, both here and abroad.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Americans Want More Pressure On Students, the Chinese Want Less
The Parenting Gap: U.S. Versus China
23 Aug 11With U.S. students underperforming in international assessments, it may not be surprising that almost two-thirds (64%) of Americans say that parents do not put enough pressure on their children to do well in school. That contrasts with the Chinese who feel their students are pushed too hard.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Rising Restrictions on Religion
One-third of the World's Population Experiences an Increase
9 Aug 11More than 2.2 billion people -- nearly a third (32%) of the world’s total population of 6.9 billion -- live in countries where either government restrictions on religion or social hostilities involving religion rose substantially between mid-2006 and mid-2009.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Muslim-Western Tensions Persist
Common Concerns About Islamic Extremism
21 Jul 11Muslim and Western publics continue to see relations between them as generally bad, but there has been somewhat of a thaw in the views of the U.S. and Europe about the Muslim world.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

U.S. Status as World's Superpower Challenged by Rise of China
U.S. Favorability Ratings Remain Positive
13 Jul 11The U.S. image abroad is more favorable than it was in the Bush years, but it now faces a new challenge: doubts about America’s superpower status and the belief that China either will replace or already has replaced the United States as the world’s leading superpower.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Obama and Bachmann Drive Economic and Election Coverage
6 Jul 11The partisan differences stalling deficit reduction talks was the top story for the second week in a row, and coverage of the presidential race ranked second, fueled largely by the entry of Michele Bachmann into the race.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

U.S. Seen as Among the Greatest Nations, But Not Superior to All Others
America's Global Standing
30 Jun 11Despite the struggling economy and broad dissatisfaction with national conditions, the public has a positive view of the United States' global standing. But more think that the U.S. is one of the greatest countries in the world than say it stands above all other countries.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Four Years After Walter Reed, Government Still Faulted for Troop Support
Growing Concern over Vets' Financial Issues, PTSD
29 Jun 11As President Obama begins to draw down U.S. forces in Afghanistan, most Americans continue to say that government support for troops returning from war is falling short.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Views of Obama’s Approach for Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal Little Changed
27 Jun 11Following Barack Obama’s June 22 speech about the Afghanistan war, there has been little change in public opinion about the president’s plans for drawing down the number of U.S. combat troops in that country. A plurality still thinks withdrawal plan is about the right pace.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Record Number Favors Removing U.S. Troops from Afghanistan
21 Jun 11For the first time, a majority (56%) says that U.S. troops should be brought home as soon as possible, while 39% favor keeping troops in Afghanistan until the situation has stabilized.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

U.S. Image in Pakistan Falls No Further Following bin Laden Killing
Support for Campaign Against Extremists Wanes
21 Jun 11Most Pakistanis see the U.S. as an enemy, consider it a potential military threat and oppose American-led anti-terrorism efforts. A majority also describes bin Laden's death as a bad thing and many say it will have a negative impact on the already strained relations between the U.S. and their country.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

In Shift from Bush Era, More Conservatives Say "Come Home, America"
16 Jun 11The proportion of conservative Republicans supporting U.S. activism in world affairs has fallen substantially since 2004 -- a shift that is part of a broader blurring of partisan differences in opinions about America's role in the world. Still, Republicans remain more supportive than Democrats and independents of the war in Afghanistan.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Views of Middle East Unchanged by Recent Events
Public Remains Wary of Global Engagement
10 Jun 11The American public continues to express reservations about the U.S. taking an active role in the world, and casts a wary eye on the turmoil sweeping the Middle East. Far more continue to say they sympathize with Israel rather than the Palestinians, and a plurality says President Obama is striking the right balance with the situation.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

On Eve of Elections, a More Upbeat Mood in Turkey
PM Erdogan Gets High Marks for Foreign Policy
7 Jun 11As publics around the world generally remain gloomy about their economies, Turks are becoming more positive and are increasingly satisfied with their country. This bodes well for Prime Minster Erogan, who also receives good marks on foreign policy in the poll. Turks continue to favor joining the EU, but there is no consensus about whether Turkey's future lies more with Europe or the Middle East.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Japanese Resilient, but See Economic Challenges Ahead
U.S. Applauded for Relief Efforts
1 Jun 11A majority in Japan believe their country will emerge stronger in the aftermath of the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese are broadly unhappy with their own government's handling of the catastrophe, but there is considerable praise for the U.S. Most Japanese, however, also foresee a rocky economic road ahead.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Arab Spring Fails to Improve U.S. Image
Obama's Challenge in the Muslim World
17 May 11The rise of pro-democracy movements in the Middle East has not led to an improvement in America's image in the region. Instead, in key Arab nations and in other predominantly Muslim countries, views of the U.S. remain negative, as they have been for nearly a decade. And, with the exception of Indonesia, Obama remains unpopular in the Muslim nations polled.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Obama Bump Recedes a Bit
Post-bin Laden Update
9 May 11Barack Obama's job approval rating has fallen slightly since the day after Osama bin Laden's death was announced. But the balance of opinion regarding Obama's job performance remains more positive than it was in early April. There also continues to be more optimism about the U.S. achieving its goals in Afghanistan than there was prior to bin Laden's killing.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

More Optimism about Afghanistan, But No Boost in Support for Troop Presence
3 May 11The killing of Osama bin Laden has bolstered confidence that the government can prevent a possible terrorist attack, and that the U.S. will achieve its goals in Afghanistan. But an overnight Pew Research/Washington Post poll finds the public remains divided about keeping U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public "Relieved" By bin Laden's Death, Obama's Job Approval Rises
3 May 11Relief and pride are the prevailing emotional responses to Sunday's dramatic events. Obama's approval rating has jumped, and he gets far more credit from the public than does George W. Bush for bin Laden's killing. Still, the military and CIA receive most of the credit.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Osama bin Laden Largely Discredited Among Muslim Publics in Recent Years
2 May 11In the months leading up to Osama bin Laden’s death, a survey of Muslim publics around the world found little support for the al Qaeda leader. Among the six predominantly Muslim nations recently surveyed by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, bin Laden received his highest level of support among Muslims in the Palestinian territories -- although even there only 34% said they had confidence in the terrorist leader to do the right thing in world affairs.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Egyptians Embrace Revolt Leaders, Religious Parties and Military, As Well
U.S. Wins No Friends, End of Treaty With Israel Sought
25 Apr 11A nationwide survey of Egypt finds Egyptians mostly satisfied with the way things are going and optimistic about the country's future. But the nation remains cautious about the prospects for political change. Also, U.S. favorability ratings remain low, and Israel fares even more poorly.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Fewer See Clear Goal in Libya; Opposition to Arming Rebels
Rating Middle East Foreign Policy Goals
5 Apr 11While half say the U.S. made the right decision in conducting airstrikes in Libya, fewer see a clear goal than did so last week. Americans believe preventing terrorism and keeping oil prices low should be important goals of the U.S. in the Middle East, but there is less consensus on encouraging democracy and protecting Israel.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Upbeat Chinese May Not Be Primed for a Jasmine Revolution
31 Mar 11Judging the Chinese appetite for democracy is not easy, but polling suggests China may not be ripe for the kind of uprisings seen throughout the Middle East.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Modest Support for Libya Airstrikes, No Clear Goal Seen
Little Public Interest in Libyan Mission
28 Mar 11Nearly half of Americans say the U.S. made the right decision in conducting air strikes in Libya, while 36% say it was the wrong decision. On balance, however, the public does not think that the U.S. and its allies have a clear goal in taking military action and most see a lengthy involvement in Libya.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Wary of Military Intervention in Libya
14 Mar 11By a wide margin, Americans say the United States does not have a responsibility to do something about the fighting between government forces and anti-government groups in Libya. Divided support for a no-fly zone is undercut by overwhelming opposition to bombing Libyan military air defenses.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Will Enthusiasm for Democracy Endure in Egypt and Elsewhere?
8 Mar 11While the parallels between former Soviet bloc countries and Middle Eastern nations should not be overdrawn, the experience of Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet empire is a useful reminder that public enthusiasm for democracy is not guaranteed as political change extends over years and decades.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Public Remains Divided Over the Patriot Act
15 Feb 11Views of the Patriot Act have changed little since the Bush administration, with slightly more Americans currently saying it is a necessary security tool rather than a threat to civil liberties. Democrats are now somewhat more supportive of the law.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Now More Focused on Egypt, but Coverage Far Surpasses Interest
9 Feb 11The public's interest in news about the massive anti-government protests in Egypt surged last week, but did not keep pace with the growth in media coverage. About as many Americans (26%) say the story they followed most closely was the powerful winter storm system that hit the Midwest and the Northeast, a story that accounted for just 8% of news coverage.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Public Uncertain About Effect of Egypt Protests on U.S.
Positive Marks for Obama's Handling of Situation
8 Feb 11Americans do not have a clear point of view on how the massive anti-government protests in Egypt will affect the U.S., but most give Obama good marks for his handling of the situation. Half the country has heard a lot about the events in the Middle East, while half have heard little or nothing.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

India Census Offers Three Gender Options
7 Feb 11India's 2011 national census, which goes into the field this week, includes not just the usual two gender categories.
Social & Demographic Trends

Historically, Public Has Given Low Priority to Promoting Democracy Overseas
4 Feb 11Americans like the idea of their government promoting democracy in other nations. But democracy promotion has historically lagged far behind other objectives among the public's long-term foreign policy goals.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Egypt, Democracy and Islam
31 Jan 11In a survey conducted last spring, a majority of Egyptian Muslims said that democracy was preferable to any other kind of government. An overwhelming majority also believes Islam's influence in politics is positive.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

The Future of the Global Muslim Population
Projections for 2010-2030
27 Jan 11The world's Muslim population is expected to increase by about 35% in the next 20 years, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030, according to new population projections by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Globally, the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population over the next two decades.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

How the U.S. Media Cover China
24 Jan 11 Before Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit, what events and issues have put China on the U.S. media’s radar in the last four years? (Hint: they're not usually related to the economy.)
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Friend or Foe? How Americans See China
13 Jan 11When Chinese President Hu Jintao visits Washington next week, he will be greeted by an American public that looks to Asia- -- rather than to Europe -- as the region of the world most important to U.S. interests.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Strengthen Ties with China, But Get Tough on Trade
12 Jan 11As President Obama prepares to host Chinese President Hu Jintao next week, Americans increasingly see Asia as the region of the world that is most important to the United States. While Americans see China as a rising global power, relatively few characterize the U.S.-China relationship as adversarial; China is seen primarily as an economic threat, rather than a military one.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

2010 Poll Findings that Will Matter in 2011
30 Dec 10On issues ranging from the rising power of China to the desirability of bipartisan cooperation and the outlook for the nation's future, Americans expressed views over the course of the past year that are likely to have consequences for the future course of U.S. policy and governance.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Global Publics Embrace Social Networking
Computer and Cell Phone Usage Up Around the World
15 Dec 10Although still a relatively young technology, social networking is already a global phenomenon. A 22-nation survey finds that in regions around the world, people who use the internet are using it for social networking. Cell phone ownership and computer usage are also increasingly popular across the globe.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

For the Public, a Tough Year Ends on a Down Note
Little Progress Seen on Major Domestic Issues
15 Dec 10Consistent with the mood of the nation all year, 2010 is closing on a down note -- but not as low as in December 2008. Fully 72% are dissatisfied with national conditions, 89% rate national economic conditions as only fair or poor, and majorities or pluralities think the country is losing ground on nine of 12 major issues.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Mixed Views on Tax Cuts, Support for START and Allowing Gays to Serve Openly
7 Dec 10With the public giving subpar approval ratings to President Obama and continuing to express negative views of Congress and the political parties, it goes its own way on many of the remaining issues before the lame-duck Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Muslim Networks and Movements in Western Europe
6 Dec 10Scholars discuss the purpose and findings of a major study that examines several of the oldest, largest and most influential Muslim groups operating in Western Europe today many of which are virtually unknown to non-Muslims.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Despite Years of Terror Scares, Public's Concerns Remain Fairly Steady
2 Dec 10Since 9/11, there is little evidence that close calls in the U.S. or terrorist attacks overseas have led to a fundamental change in the public's worries about terrorism. Also, Americans are divided over whether the U.S. is winning or losing its campaign against terrorism.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Muslim Publics Divided on Hamas and Hezbollah
Most Embrace a Role for Islam in Politics
2 Dec 10While Hamas and Hezbollah continue to receive mixed ratings from Muslim publics around the globe, opinions of al Qaeda and bin Laden are consistently negative. Meanwhile, most Muslims surveyed welcome a significant role for Islam in their countries’ politics, and most also say democracy is preferable to any other kind of government.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Voting in Foreign-Policy Oblivion
30 Nov 10While it is not unusual for foreign policy to take a back seat during difficult economic times, the absence of concern at a time when American troops are fighting a war in Afghanistan, and the threat of terrorism remains high is remarkable.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Americans Are of Two Minds on Trade
More Trade, Mostly Good; Free Trade Pacts, Not So
9 Nov 10The public wants increased trade with Canada, Japan and several other countries (China and South Korea being notable exceptions), but support for free trade agreements is at a 13-year low, and more say trade agreements have negative rather than positive impact on jobs, wages and economic growth.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Indians See Threat From Pakistan, Extremist Groups
America's Image Remains Strong
20 Oct 10Most Indians have a positive opinion of President Obama and the U.S. Many see Pakistan -- and extremist groups linked to that nation -- as a threat, but most also want better relations and deeper economic ties with their neighbor and rival.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Brazilians Upbeat About Their Country, Despite Its Problems
Most See Brazil as Rising Power
22 Sep 10At a time when global publics are mostly glum, half of Brazilians say they are satisfied with national conditions, and 62% say their economy is in good shape. Most also see their country as a rising global power.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Turks Downbeat About Their Institutions
Even Military Less Well-Regarded
7 Sep 10Confidence in Turkish institutions and leaders -- including the military, religious leaders, and the prime minster -- has declined over the last few years. And Turks continue to express largely negative views of major world powers.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Obama's Middle East Problem
27 Aug 10While global publics largely take a positive view of the president's leadership and foreign policy, he receives his lowest marks on dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- and his ratings on this issue are especially negative in the Arab nations of the Middle East.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Mexicans Continue Support for Drug War
But Sense of Progress and Support for U.S. Involvement Declines
12 Aug 10Mexicans overwhelmingly continue to endorse President Calderón's campaign against the drug cartels and most -- though somewhat fewer than a year ago -- see progress in the drug war. But opposition to direct U.S. involvement has increased, and Mexican views of the U.S. generally turned negative following passage of the recent Arizona immigration law.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Public Opinion in Pakistan: Concern About Extremist Threat Slips
America's Image Remains Poor
29 Jul 10Pakistanis have grown markedly less concerned about extremist groups, and are far more worried about the external threat from India. America's image remains negative and support for U.S. involvement in the fight against extremists has waned. Many Pakistanis endorse extreme views about law, religion and society.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Widespread Support for Banning Full Islamic Veil in Western Europe
Most Americans Disapprove
8 Jul 10The French public overwhelmingly endorses a ban on full Islamic veils in public places, and majorities in other Western European nations surveyed would also welcome such a ban in their countries. In contrast, most Americans would oppose prohibiting Muslim women from wearing full veils in public.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Gender Equality Universally Embraced, but Inequalities Acknowledged
1 Jul 10Almost everywhere, solid majorities express support for gender equality and agree that women should be able to work outside the home. Yet many say gender inequalities persist and that life is generally better for men in their countries.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Obama More Popular Abroad than at Home, Global Image of U.S. Continues to Benefit
22-Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey
17 Jun 10The president gets an enthusiastic thumbs up from the world (with the notable exception of the U.S.) for the way he has handled the world economic crisis. Obama's personal popularity remains high, as do favorable views of the U.S. In a striking difference from the Bush years, while many around the world disagree with Obama's foreign policies, the U.S. image has not been significantly dented as a result. Muslim countries, however, continue to hold a negative view of America and most also give Obama unfavorable ratings.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

India's Census and the Caste Question
9 Jun 10In a controversial decision, government leaders in India have agreed that the nation's 2011 census could include a tally of castes, the complex structure of traditional social classes last enumerated in 1931.
Social & Demographic Trends

Czechs' Commitment to Free Markets and Democracy Stays Strong Amidst Troubled Economic and Political Waters
19 May 10Despite broad dissatisfaction with their country's current economy and direction, Czechs' enthusiasm for free markets and open elections has remained strong.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Islam, the West and the Challenges of Modernity: A Conversation With Tariq Ramadan
12 May 10What can Western Muslims do to balance faith and modernity? What lies ahead for the future of Islam in Europe, the U.S. and the rest of the world? A controversial Muslim scholar discusses these and related topics.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

The Prisoner Dilemma: An Update
15 Apr 10Maryland has become the first state in the nation to make plans to count prisoners at their last known home addresses, not their prison addresses, for purposes of redrawing federal, state and local legislative districts.
Social & Demographic Trends

Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa
15 Apr 10In little more than a century, the religious landscape of sub-Saharan Africa has changed dramatically. In 1900, traditional African religions dominated. Since then, the numbers of both Muslims and Christians have risen into the hundreds of millions. A new survey explores how sub-Saharan Africans themselves view the role of religion in their lives and societies.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Nuclear Reaction
12 Apr 10In the U.S. and around the globe, the spread of nuclear weapons is seen as a major threat, but not overwhelmingly so. Those concerned, however, look to the U.S. for leadership.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Hungary Dissatisfied with Democracy, but Not its Ideals
7 Apr 10Hungarians, who once pioneered the transition away from communism, are not turning their backs on democracy. Instead, they are frustrated by the fact that democracy has yet to fully flourish in their country.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Ukraine Says 'No' to NATO
29 Mar 10Ukrainian President Yanukovych's move to ban Ukraine from joining NATO is not without a base of public support, a Pew Global Attitudes survey finds.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Indonesia: The Obama Effect
17 Mar 10When President Barack Obama travels to Indonesia he will visit a country where his personal popularity has dramatically transformed America's image.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Restoring America's Reputation in the World
4 Mar 10Pew Global Attitudes surveys chronicled the rise of anti-Americanism around the world for much of the past decade and its sharp recession in many countries following the election of President Barack Obama. However, this improving trend may be more fragile than it would be if it had been based on views of his specific policies.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Mixed Views of Hamas and Hezbollah in Largely Muslim Nations
Little Enthusiasm for Many Muslim Leaders
4 Feb 10A survey of Muslims in eight countries and the Palestinian territories finds little enthusiasm for the extremist Islamic organizations, little support for Muslim political leaders and the widespread perception of a Sunni-Shia conflict. Most Muslims are also convinced there is a struggle between modernization and fundamentalists, and publics overwhelmingly support educating girls and boys equally.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Twitter And YouTube Continue Focus On Haiti While Blogs Move On
28 Jan 10After playing a large role in promoting activism and fundraising in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, various components of the social media community moved in different directions last week.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

The Post-Communist Generation in the Former Eastern Bloc
20 Jan 10A Pew Global Attitudes survey finds that members of the post-communist generation, who are now between the ages of 18 and 39, offer much more positive evaluations of the political and economic changes their countries have undergone over the past two decades than do those who were adults when the Iron Curtain fell.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Ukraine's National Election -- a Problem of Democracy?
Economy, Poor Leadership, Corruption Key
14 Jan 10On the eve of a national election, Ukrainians are not only disenchanted with their current leadership and economic situation; they are also the most dissatisfied among former Soviet Bloc nations with the transition to a democracy and free markets.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Widespread Anti-Immigrant Sentiment in Italy
12 Jan 10Eight-in-ten Italians say they would like to to see tighter restrictions on immigration in a 2009 survey. Italians were also more likely than any other public included in a 47-nation survey conducted in 2007 to see immigration as a big problem.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Little Support for Terrorism Among Muslim Americans
17 Dec 09The Pew Research Center's comprehensive portrait of the Muslim American population suggests that, despite recent events, America is less likely to be a fertile breeding ground for terrorism than are Muslim minority communities in other countries.
Pew Research Center

At Year's End, Nation Remains Divided
Splits on Obama, Afghanistan and Health Care
16 Dec 09As has been the case since October, roughly half the country approves of President Obama's job. The nation is also divided on Afghanistan and health care. One rare point of agreement, though, is that the economy remains poor.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Negative Views of U.S. Unchanged in Turkey
But Some Signs of Improvement
3 Dec 09Though U.S. image remains dismal in Turkey (the lowest rating among 25 nations surveyed) there are signs of improvement in this strategically important country. Far more Turks trust the new American president and the nation is turning less negative toward U.S. foreign policy.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

U.S. Seen as Less Important, China as More Powerful
Isolationist Sentiment Surges to Four-Decade High
3 Dec 09A new survey of both the public and members of the Council on Foreign Relations finds an increasingly isolationist sentiment among Americans. The public also differs with CFR members on increasing troop levels in Afghanistan, the threat posed by China and the use of torture.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Global Warming Seen as a Major Problem Around the World
Less Concern in the U.S., China and Russia
2 Dec 09As leaders convene in Copenhagen to discuss climate change, they will address a concern shared around the globe. Publics are willing to sacrifice economic growth for the environment, but nations are split on which country should lead on global warming.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

Polling Wars: Hawks vs. Doves
23 Nov 09The contrast between attitudes toward military involvement in Afghanistan and Iran fits into a temporal pattern. Americans generally like their wars to be successful or short -- and ideally both.
Pew Research Center

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After Bush, Islam's Real Challenge
29 Dec 08Scholar Va Nasr argues that the 2003 invasion of Iraq has fundamentally shifted the region's balance of power and that the most important conflicts of the Middle East now revolve around the Shia/Sunni sectarian divide.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lessons from the 2008 Pew Global Attitudes Survey
19 Jun 08Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut, New York Times columnist David Brooks and Foreign Policy editor Moises Naim discuss findings and implications of the new survey.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

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

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

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

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

The Plight of Iraq’s Religious Minorities
15 May 08Since 2003, sectarian violence, ambiguous legal protections for religious freedom, and other factors have contributed to a deteriorating situation for Christians and other small religious sects.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In Search of a Way Out: Rethinking the Arab-Israeli Conflict
A Palestinian Scholar Discusses How a Solution Could Help Resolve the Larger Clash Between Islam and Christianity
12 Jul 07In an interview with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Palestinian scholar Sari Nusseibeh discusses ways in which a settlement could help resolve the larger tensions between Islam and other faiths.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Rise of Shia Islam - and Iran
A Conversation with Vali Nasr
24 Jul 06The recent violence in Lebanon and Israel, together with the sectarian strife in Iraq and escalating tensions around Iran's nuclear ambitions, has drawn urgent attention to the resurgence and politicization of Shia Islam in the Middle East.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Arab and Muslim Perceptions of the United States
10 Nov 05Testimony to U.S. House International Relations Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Pew Global Attitudes Project

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

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