Most Latino registered voters say they want government to be more involved in solving the nation’s problems, a view that is reflected in their broad support for raising the minimum wage, government involvement in health care and stricter gun laws, according to a national Pew Research Center survey of Latino adults conducted in December.
A record 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in November’s general election, exceeding the number of black eligible voters for the first time. About 62% of Latino registered voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, while 34% affiliate with or lean to the Republican Party.
Most Hispanic voters (71%) say the government should do more to solve problems, while 27% say government is doing too many things better left to businesses and individuals.
Hispanic Democratic and Republican registered voters have sharply different views on the role of government, though the gap is not as wide as it is among the broader U.S. public. Among Hispanic voters, 82% who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party say the government should do more to solve problems, compared with 51% of those who affiliate with or lean toward the GOP.
Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump leave the stage at NRG Stadium after a rally in September 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Sergio Flores/Getty Images)
As U.S. President Donald Trump prepares for a state visit to India, the two nations’ economic relationship will take center stage after several months of back-and-forth about escalating tariffs. And while Trump himself receives positive marks from the Indian populace, some of his specific policies and trade attitudes in general do not garner the same warm reception.
A majority of Indians have confidence in Donald Trump to do the right thing when it comes to world affairs. Trump’s image in India has gained favor since his candidacy in 2016, jumping from 14% confidence to 56% over three years. Much of this movement is accompanied by more people now offering an opinion about the U.S. president. The share volunteering a response of “don’t know” or declining to answer has fallen precipitously over the same period, from 67% in 2016 to just 30% in 2019. Meanwhile, the small share of those saying they lack confidence in Trump when it comes to foreign policy has remained stable. These latest numbers resemble those of Trump’s predecessor: Before Barack Obama left office, 58% of Indians had confidence in him in world affairs, while 9% had no confidence and 33% did not offer an opinion.
With an estimated population of 1.8 billion, Muslims are the world’s second-largest religious group, after Christians. But our surveys have found that about half of Americans – as well as most Western Europeans – say they know little or nothing about Islam.
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Pew Research Center has conducted more than a decade’s worth of global research on religion, including surveys of Muslims in 39 countries, three comprehensive surveys of Muslim Americans, several demographic studies of the world’s major religions (including population growth projections), and a series of surveys that measure how people living in the U.S. and Europe view Muslims and Islam. Read More →
Republicans and Democrats express sharply different preferences about their ideal communities and house sizes. And while large numbers of people in both parties say it is important to live in a community that is a good place to raise children, partisans diverge on whether it is important that a community is racially and ethnically diverse.
Nearly two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (65%) say they would prefer to live in a community where houses are larger and farther apart, but schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away.
By contrast, a majority of Democrats and Democratic leaners (58%) would rather live in a community in which houses are smaller and closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are in walking distance. Read More →
Newspaper chain McClatchy filed for bankruptcy Thursday, the latest bad headline for the struggling U.S. newspaper industry. McClatchy owns media companies in 14 states, including the Kansas City Star, Miami Herald, Charlotte Observer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Sacramento Bee. Amid the company’s bankruptcy filing, here are some fast facts about the newspaper industry’s recent financial struggles, based on previously published Pew Research Center surveys and analyses of data from Editor and Publisher, the Alliance for Audited Media, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read More →
While Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated as a time for peak romance – and even marriage proposals – marriage isn’t the only way to achieve happiness and contentment for many Americans. Fewer than one-in-five U.S. adults say being married is essential for a man or a woman to live a fulfilling life, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in summer 2019.
Similar shares of adults say that marriage is essential for women (17%) and men (16%) to live fulfilling lives. A much larger share of Americans (54%) say being married is important but not essential for men and women to live fulfilling lives. And about three-in-ten say marriage is not important in this respect.
The public places somewhat more importance on being in a committed romantic relationship than being married. About one-in-four adults (26%) say being in such a relationship is essential for men to lead fulfilling lives, and 30% say the same about women. Again, though, much larger shares see this as important but not essential for men (59%) and women (57%). Fewer people see this as not important. Read More →
Most Americans (72%) say it is likely that Russia or other foreign governments will attempt to influence the November 2020 election. But while majorities in both parties say this, this view is more widespread among Democrats than Republicans, with Democrats considerably more likely to consider efforts by foreign nations to influence the election to be a “major problem.”
Overall, roughly four-in-ten Americans (39%) say attempts by foreign governments to influence the 2020 election are very likely, with another 32% viewing this as somewhat likely. Just 27% say it is not too likely (20%) or not at all likely (7%) that these attempts will occur. Read More →
Science issues – whether connected with climate, childhood vaccines or new techniques in biotechnology – are part of the fabric of civic life, raising a range of social, ethical and policy issues for the citizenry. As members of the scientific community gather at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) this week, here is a roundup of key takeaways from our studies of U.S. public opinion about science issues and their effect on society. If you’re on Twitter, follow @pewscience for more science findings.
Establishing a way for most unauthorized immigrants to stay in the country legally is the top immigration policy goal for Hispanics in the United States, with more than half (54%) saying it is very important, according to a national Pew Research Center survey of Hispanic adults conducted in December. While a significant partisan gap exists on this issue, strong majorities of Hispanic Democrats and Republicans say this immigration policy goal is at least somewhat important.
Many of the nation’s 60 million Hispanics have immigrant connections. About 20 million are immigrants themselves (though 79% are U.S. citizens), and another 19 million have at least one parent who is an immigrant. As of 2017, Hispanics accounted for 73% of an estimated 10.5 million unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S., and a growing number of them came from Central America over the previous decade. Read More →
There is broad concern among Democrats and Republicans about the influence that made-up news could have during the 2020 presidential election – and partisans on both sides expect it to be aimed at their own party much more than the other.
Similarly large shares of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents (82%) and Republicans and GOP leaners (84%) say they are very or somewhat concerned about the influence that made-up news could have during the election. Around half in each group (48% of Democrats and 49% of Republicans) say they are very concerned, according to a Pew Research Center survey of more than 12,000 U.S. adults conducted in October and November last year. The survey is the first in the Center’s nearly yearlong Election News Pathways project, which explores how Americans’ news habits and attitudes relate to what they hear, perceive and know about the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Liberal Democrats are more likely than moderate or conservative Democrats to say they are very concerned about the influence made-up news could have during the election (58% vs. 40%). Similarly, conservative Republicans are more likely than moderate or liberal Republicans to say this (57% vs. 38%).
Most Latino registered voters say they want government to be more involved in solving the nation’s problems, a view that is reflected in their broad support for raising the minimum wage, government involvement in health care and stricter gun laws, according to a national Pew Research Center survey of Latino adults conducted in December.
Nearly two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (65%) say they would prefer to live in a community where houses are larger and farther apart, but schools, stores and restaurants are several miles away.
While Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated as a time for peak romance – and even marriage proposals – marriage isn’t the only way to achieve happiness and contentment for many Americans. Fewer than one-in-five U.S. adults say being married is essential for a man or a woman to live a fulfilling life, according to a 
