Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

2011

  • short reads

    Judging Family Trends

    The sweeping changes in family structure that have occurred roughly over the past 50 years have split the public into three roughly equal groups: Accepters, Rejecters and Skeptics.

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    Government Shutdown: Who’s to Blame?

    In the case of a federal government shutdown, the public splits — and sharply so along partisan lines — over whether President Obama or Republicans in Congress are to blame.

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    Nigerians Support al Qaeda

    Only in Nigeria, among predominately Muslim countries surveyed, does a plurality express positive views of al Qaeda as well as its leader bin Laden.

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    Support for Hezbollah

    In a 2010 survey, the extremist group Hezbollah receives its most positive ratings in Jordan, where 55% of Muslims have a favorable view; a slim majority (52%) of Lebanese Muslims also support the group.

  • short reads

    Health Care Reform’s Meager Media Coverage

    In the 11 months since the health care reform was signed into law, debate about the controversial measure has accounted for only 1.9% of the overall newshole.

  • report

    This Time, Bloggers Battle over the GOP Budget

    While the violence in Libya was one of the top stories on Twitter, bloggers homed in on domestic policy as they debated the potential impact of proposed Republican budget cuts and the prospects of a government shutdown. On YouTube, three videos that brought home the devastation of the earthquake in New Zealand garnered millions of views.

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    New Jobs in Recession and Recovery: Who Are Getting Them and Who Are Not

    In testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement, the Pew Hispanic Center’s Rakesh Kochhar explains why for the first time since the official end of the Great Recession in June 2009, native-born workers in the second half of 2010 joined foreign-born workers in experiencing the beginnings of a recovery in employment.

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    Continuing Divide in Views of Islam and Violence

    Overview The public remains divided over whether Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers. Currently, 40% say the Islamic religion is more likely than others to encourage violence while 42% say it is not. These opinions have changed little in recent years. But in March 2002, just 25% saw […]

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    For Millennials, Parenthood Trumps Marriage

    Today’s 18 to 29 year olds – members of the so-called Millennial Generation – see parenthood and marriage differently than today’s thirty-somethings (members of Generation X) did back when they were in their late teens and twenties, according to a new analysis of Pew Research Center survey findings. Unlike their older counterparts, Millennials value parenthood much more than marriage.

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    Most See Role for Government in Reducing Childhood Obesity

    Overview Most Americans say the government should play a significant role in reducing obesity among children. But there is strong opposition to government involvement in this effort among conservative Republicans and Tea Party supporters. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Feb. 22-March 1 among 1,504 […]