What the data says about federal workers
As President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, here are answers to some common questions about the federal workforce.
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Slim majorities have become more common in the U.S. House and Senate
Republicans will kick off the 119th Congress with the smallest margin of control in the U.S. House of Representatives in modern history.
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Americans see many federal agencies favorably, but Republicans grow more critical of Justice Department
Democrats hold consistently favorable views of all 16 agencies asked about, while Republicans express more unfavorable than favorable views for 11 agencies.
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Americans’ Views of Government’s Role: Persistent Divisions and Areas of Agreement
Most Biden supporters favor a bigger government with a strong social safety net. Trump backers generally take the opposing view.
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Americans rate their federal, state and local governments less positively than a few years ago
Americans view their state and local governments far more positively than the federal government in Washington.
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Nearly three-quarters of Americans say it would be ‘too risky’ to give presidents more power
Just 24% say the country’s problems could be better solved if presidents didn’t have to worry about Congress or the courts.
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The changing face of America’s veteran population
Today, there are more than 18 million living veterans in the United States, representing about 6% of the country’s adult population.
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Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics
Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics.
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What the data says about food stamps in the U.S.
The food stamp program is one of the larger federal social welfare initiatives, and in its current form has been around for nearly six decades.
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Fewer than 1% of federal criminal defendants were acquitted in 2022
In 2022, only 290 of 71,954 defendants in federal criminal cases – about 0.4% – went to trial and were acquitted.
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