Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

2007

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    Election Newshounds Speak Up

    Americans flocked in record numbers to their favorite media sources for political news last fall. In this report, fans of newspaper, TV and online news sites tell how and why they differ.

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    MyHealth, Circa 2007

    Tagging, blogging, and social networking sites allow internet users to search for, catalog, and disseminate information.

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    Approval of Democrats’ Election Wins by Evangelicals

    That’s the percent of white evangelical Americans who say they are happy that the Democrats won control of Congress in the midterm elections — substantially fewer than among other religious groups and seculars.

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    Virtual Tourists

    That’s the portion of American adult internet users who have taken virtual tours of another location online — from visits to Mars to more mundane areas of personal interest such as colleges and universities, tourist and vacation locales, historical sites, museums, real estate, and hotels.

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    Hispanics Say Bring U.S. Troops Home from Iraq

    That’s the percent of Hispanics who now favor bringing troops home as soon as possible, up from 51% in January 2005, and considerably higher than the number (about one in two) among the general public who think so.

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    War Dominates Again, But Breaking News Defines the Week

    The deteriorating conflict in Iraq was still the leading story line in the news last week. But the media were also tested by a terror false alarm, a major campaign trail gaffe, lethal weather, and the tragic death of a great athlete, according to the PEJ News Coverage Index.

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    Mega-donors Get Mixed Election Returns

    A bevy of big donors poured some of their personal fortunes into last year’s gubernatorial, state legislative and ballot-measure contests. But the super-rich had a mixed record in their single-handed efforts to sway election outcomes. In some cases, the motives of wealthy donors even backfired against their candidates or causes.

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    Hey, Big Spenders!

    That’s the (negative) percentage of their after-tax income that Americans saved last year — the lowest savings rate since 1933 when, in the depths of the Great Depression, one in four workers were jobless.

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    Dogs Edge Cats–Dad Trails Both

    That’s the number of dog owners who say they feel “close” to their pet — beating both the number of Americans who say that about their cats (84%) and the number who say that about their fathers (74%).