Year: 2011

The Census Bureau has developed an alternative measure of poverty that takes into account a wider range of factors than the official poverty measure. The alternative measure sets the poverty threshold for 2010 at $24,343, which is $2,230 higher than the official measure for a two-adult two-child family.

Nearly eight-in-ten (77%) Democrats believe there is solid evidence of global warming compared to 43% of Republicans.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the 10.2 million unauthorized adult immigrants in the United States have lived in this country for at least 10 years.

Large majorities of people in three former Soviet republics -- Russia (82%), Lithuania (91%) and Ukraine (95%) -- believe that politicians far more than ordinary people have benefited from the changes that have taken place in their countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

An incident involving a woman attacking fellow shoppers with pepper spray during a Black Friday sale got the attention of bloggers last week.

A new PEJ study of the Twitter campaign conversation using computer technology reveals how the White House hopefuls fared, examines differences between the political discussions on Twitter and blogs, and updates the tone of the candidates’ news narratives.

The political conversation on Twitter is markedly different than that on blogs—and both are decidedly different than the political narrative presented by the mainstream press, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism that analyzed more than 20 million tweets, the online conversation and traditional news coverage about the campaign.

Overview The number of Americans hearing mostly bad news about the economy has fallen 12 points over the past month and 31 points since fears of a new recession intensified in August. Currently, 56% say the news they are hearing about the economy is a mix of good and bad, while 36% say the news […]

Senior Research Specialist Aaron Smith is speaking at the Government Mobility Forum, part of Government Computer News's 2011 Solutions Seminar series.

Overview The public continues to support tough measures to crack down on illegal immigration, but also a path to citizenship for those in the country illegally. A plurality (43%) says the priority should be better border security and enforcement, as well as creating a way for illegal immigrants to become citizens if they meet certain […]