Middle East Turmoil Closely Followed; Romney’s Comments Viewed Negatively
About four-in-ten Americans (43%) have followed news about the attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East and the killing of an American ambassador very closely. Those following have much more positive opinions about Barack Obama’s handling of the situation than Mitt Romney’s comments on the crisis.
Photos and Videos are Key Social Currency Online
Fully 46% of internet users post original photos and videos online and 41% curate photos and videos on image-sharing sites. Women are more likely than men to use Pinterest, while Instagram and Tumblr attract equal shares of men and women.
Democrats Now More Positive on Campaign 2012
In the wake of the party conventions, Democrats express increasingly positive views of the presidential campaign.
Importance of the Latino Vote in 2012
Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director, Pew Hispanic Center, discusses the importance of the Latino Vote in the 2012 presidential election.
A Recovery No Better than the Recession
The median income of American households decreased by as much in the two years after the official end of the Great Recession as it did during the recession itself. The current recovery is the worst for household income for any post-recession period in decades.
Smartphones Particularly Popular With Young Adults, High Earners
On the eve of Apple’s unveiling of the iPhone 5, 45% of American adults own smartphones. They are particularly popular with young adults and those living in relatively higher income households; 66% of those ages 18-29 own smartphones, and 68% of those living in households earning $75,000 also own them.
Record Partisan Gap in Views of Economic News
Just 15% of Democrats say recent economic news is mostly bad, down from 31% a month ago and among the lowest percentages over the last four years. Six-in-ten Republicans (60%) say news about the economy is mostly bad, as do 36% of independents.
Deepening Economic Doubts in India
The economic euphoria in India over the last few years has suddenly soured. Although still relatively upbeat compared with many other countries, the Indian public’s confidence in their country’s direction and future economic growth has declined significantly compared with just a year ago.
A Third of Americans Now Say They Are in the Lower Classes
The percentage of Americans who say they are in the lower-middle or lower class has risen from a quarter of the adult population to about a third in the past four years, according to a national survey of 2,508 adults by the Pew Research Center.
Democratic Convention Highlights: Clinton Outshines Obama
Like Mitt Romney, Barack Obama was not the highlight of his party’s convention. Among those who watched at least a little coverage of the Democratic convention, 29% say the highlight was Bill Clinton’s speech, while 16% name Obama’s speech as the highlight. About as many (15%) say that first lady Michelle Obama’s speech was the highlight of the convention.
