Only 17% of African Americans view gangsta rapper 50 Cent as a “good influence,” by far the lowest approval rating accorded any on a list of black newsmakers in a recent Pew survey.

Nearly eight-in-ten Americans feel that prices in the US have risen “a lot” in recent years.

Fully two-thirds of Americans (66%) think that Fidel Castro, who resigned as president of Cuba this week, has been bad for his country.

That’s the score tallied by President Abraham Lincoln in a nationwide 2007 Gallup poll that asked respondents to name the “greatest United States president.” In Gallup’s 2005 survey on the issue, two recent presidents, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, outpolled the Civil War president who was born on February 12, 199 years ago.

Six-in-ten Muslim Americans (61%) say they pray every day, somewhat fewer than the 70% of U.S. Christians who say they pray daily.

Just 4% of all online adults say they have had bad experiences as a result of embarrassing or inaccurate personal information being posted on the internet.

Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say they prefer to get news with no particular point of view, while just 23% say they like getting news that reflects their political views.

A 59%-majority of Americans believe that, in the long run, the failures of the Bush administration will outweigh the accomplishments, up from 53% a year ago; half as many (28%) say Bush’s accomplishments will outweigh his failures.