Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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October 1, 2009

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    The Harried Life of the Working Mother

    Women now make up almost half of the U.S. labor force, up from 38% in 1970. The public approves of this trend, but the change has come with a cost for many women — particularly working mothers of young children, who feel the tug of family responsibility much more acutely than do working fathers.

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    Support for Abortion Slips

    Polls conducted in 2009 have found fewer Americans expressing support for abortion than in previous years. In Pew Research Center polls in 2007 and 2008, supporters of legal abortion clearly outnumbered opponents; now Americans are evenly divided on the question, and there have been modest increases in the numbers who favor reducing abortions or making […]

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    Pew Research Poll: Support For Abortion Slips

    Issue Ranks Lower in Importance Washington, D.C.—A new national survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds that fewer Americans express support for abortion than in previous years. CONTACT Mary SchultzCommunications Manager202.419.4556mschultz@pewresearch.org/pewresearch-org/religion In Pew Research Center polls in 2007 […]

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    Civic Engagement Online: Politics as Usual

    The internet is not changing the character of civic engagement, as participation remains the domain of those with high levels of income and education. However, there are hints that forms of civic engagement anchored in blogs and social networking sites could alter long-standing patterns.

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    The Internet and Civic Engagement

    The internet is not changing the basic socio-economic character of Americans’ civic engagement. The well off and well educated dominate online civic activities such as emailing officials, making donations, or signing online petitions just as those…

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    Coverage of Jackson’s Death Seen As Excessive

    Summary of Findings The public closely tracked the sudden death of pop superstar Michael Jackson last week, though nearly two-in-three Americans say news organizations gave too much coverage to the story. At the same time, half say the media struck the right balance between reporting on Jackson’s musical legacy and the problems in his personal […]

  • short reads

    Blacks Feel More Optimistic

    Fully 62% of non-Hispanic blacks now believe that Americans can always solve problems; in 2007 only 41% shared that confidence.