Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Fact Sheets: Public Views About Science

  • report

    Most Continue to Favor Gays Serving Openly in Military

    As the Pentagon prepares to release its highly anticipated survey of military personnel about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, a Pew Research Center survey finds that most Americans (58%) say they favor allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the armed forces.

  • report

    The Better-Off Online

    Some 95% of Americans who live in households earning $75,000 or more a year use the internet at least occasionally, compared with 70% of those in households with less income. Even among all internet users, the well-off are more likely to own and use various types of technology.

  • report

    Midterm Elections Renew Same-Sex Marriage Debate

    The 2010 midterm elections renewed discussions about civil unions and same-sex marriage laws in several states, including Hawaii, Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa. Hawaii The election of Democrat Neil Abercrombie as governor of Hawaii may make it more likely that a bill legalizing civil unions for same-sex couples could become law in the state, according to […]

  • report

    The Rise of College Student Borrowing

    Graduates who received a bachelor’s degree in 2008 borrowed 50% more than their counterparts who graduated in 1996, while graduates who earned an associate’s degree or undergraduate certificate in 2008 borrowed more than twice what their counterparts in 1996 had borrowed.

  • short reads

    Crowded Tables this Thanksgiving

    More than six-in-ten Americans who plan to have a Thanksgiving meal with family members say that 10 or more relatives will be in attendance on Thursday.

  • short reads

    Mobile Location Sharing

    Among internet users, 4% use a service such as Foursquare or Gowalla to share their location with friends online.

  • short reads

    Knowledge Deficit

    While most Americans know the deficit is larger now than it was in the 1990s, most are not familiar with where government money goes.