Obama Health Care Law: Where Does the Public Stand?
A summary of surveys by the Pew Research Center highlights the views of Americans on issues related to the health care law passed in 2010.
Debt and Deficit: A Public Opinion Dilemma
Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut writes that there has never been an issue such as the deficit on which there has been such a consensus among the public about its importance — and such a lack of agreement about acceptable solutions.
Economy, Election Are Public’s Top Stories
The public continued to track news about the economy and the presidential election, while paying less attention to another important political story – Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s victory in a hard-fought recall election.
Interest in Foreign News Declines from 2011
Public interest in foreign news stories has been modest so far this year, in stark contrast to 2011 when several overseas news stories attracted substantial attention.
Perceptions of Economic News Turn More Negative
The public’s perceptions of economic news have taken a turn for the worse. That could be bad news for Barack Obama, who held a lead over Mitt Romney in polling conducted mostly before disappointing jobs report and stock market slide during the week of May 31-June 3.
Partisan Polarization Surges in Bush, Obama Years
Americans values and basic beliefs are more polarized along partisan lines than at any point in the past 25 years. Party has now become the single largest fissure in American society, with the values gap between Republicans and Democrats greater than gender, age, race or class divides.
Presidential Campaign Public’s Top Story
Americans continued to follow news about the presidential campaign more closely than any other news last week, though they also closely followed news about the price of gasoline.
Public Sees Gas Prices Down Across Much of Nation
About half of Americans say the price of gasoline has gone down over the past month. Those in West Coast states, however, are much more likely to see gasoline prices going up.
Changing Views of Gay Marriage: A Deeper Analysis
President Obama’s recent expression of support for same-sex marriage has highlighted long-term changes in opinion on the issue.
Presidential Campaign Tops Public’s News Interest
Americans focused most closely last week on news about the presidential election, as the race increasingly shifted from the Republican primary contest to the head-to-head fight between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
