Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

2011

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    Public Remains Divided Over the Patriot Act

    Overview Public views of the Patriot Act, whose renewal is being debated by Congress, have changed little since the Bush administration. Currently, 42% say the Patriot Act is a necessary tool that helps the government find terrorists, while somewhat fewer (34%) say the Patriot Act goes too far and poses a threat to civil liberties. […]

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    Public Remains Divided Over the Patriot Act

    Views of the Patriot Act have changed little since the Bush administration, with slightly more Americans currently saying it is a necessary security tool rather than a threat to civil liberties. Democrats are now somewhat more supportive of the law.

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    Deep Partisan Divide on Guns

    More than seven-in-ten Republicans say protecting gun rights is more important than controlling gun ownership, while nearly as many Democrats say gun control is more important.

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    Meet the Candidate (Online)

    Among internet users, 7% of adults friended a candidate or political group on a social networking site or followed them on Twitter.

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    GOP Catches up with Dems Online

    Among adult internet users who engaged with a political campaign on Twitter or a social networking site, more supported Republican congressional candidates than Democratic candidates.

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    The Fall of Mubarak and the Media

    The story from Egypt seemed to ebb and then peak last week, leading to a rush of coverage once the demonstrations turned into a successful revolution. No other story came close to generating that level of coverage last week. Now comes the hard part—understanding what will happen after Hosni Mubarak.

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    Tea Party’s Hard Line on Spending Divides GOP

    Across a wide range of issues — including entitlements, education, agriculture and energy — Tea Party Republicans take a much harder line on cutting federal spending than do non-Tea Party Republicans, who are far more in sync with Democrats.

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    Fewer Want Spending to Grow, But Most Cuts Remain Unpopular

    The public’s views about federal spending are beginning to change. Across a range of federal programs, Americans are no longer calling for increased spending, as they have for many years. For the most part, however, there is not a great deal of support for cutting spending, though in a few cases support for reductions has […]