Seven-in-ten American adults now say that it is more difficult to be a mother today than it was 20 or 30 years ago, according to a new Pew survey. Somewhat fewer (60%) say the same about being a father.

That’s the proportion of the public that thinks that so far the U.S. troop surge is making things better in Iraq; a slightly larger number, 34%, think it will do so in the long run. By contrast, a 46%-plurality thinks it is not having any effect and 20% see it making things worse.

That’s the share of the U.S. public who say the U.S. government does not give enough support to the soldiers who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; but a narrow majority (51%) believes the American people give sufficient support.

That’s the portion of the adult U.S. population who completely agree that prayer is an important part of their daily life — down from a high of 55% in 1999.

That’s the proportion of the public that now agrees with the statement that “AIDS might be God’s punishment for immoral sexual behavior.” When this question was first asked in 1987, public opinion was divided, with 43% agreeing and 47% disagreeing.

That’s the proportion of the general public in France, where a new president will be chosen on Sunday, who say they are either very concerned or somewhat concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism in their country. A somewhat smaller majority of French Muslims (59%) share that concern.

That’s the portion of Gen Nexters — Americans ages 18-25 — who say they exercise on at least a weekly basis — though not all Gen Next pastimes are healthy ones.

That’s the number of Americans who agree that “we should get even with any country that tries to take advantage of the United States” — the lowest number in favor of getting even against other countries in 20 years.

Four years after President Bush declared that “In the Battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed,” a solid majority of the public (59%) says that the continuing military effort in Iraq is not going well. And, for the first time, a 51%-majority expresses the view that the United States will probably fail, or definitely fail, in establishing a stable democratic government in Iraq.

That’s the percentage of internet users who say they have downloaded a podcast so they can listen to or view it at a later time. This finding, based on a Pew Internet Project survey, represents an increase from the 7% of internet users who reported podcast downloading in February-April 2006 — though few report downloading podcasts with great frequency.