Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Publications

  • report

    David Halberstam (1934-2007)

    He was a newspaperman and a war correspondent, a prolific author and an insatiably curious sports fan. But above all, David Halberstam—who died at age 73 in a car accident on Monday—was a reporter committed to helping his readers understand the complex world around them. PEJ senior counselor Bill Kovach offers his tribute to his friend, one of the nation’s most distinguished journalists.

  • report

    Little Boost for Gun Control or Agreement on Causes

    Summary of Findings Last week’s shootings at Virginia Tech have had little immediate impact on public opinion about gun control. Six-in-ten Americans say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 32% say it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns. Opinion has changed little since 2004, when 58% […]

  • short reads

    Like Political Leaders Who Compromise

    That’s the percentage of Americans who say they like leaders who are willing to compromise — but two-thirds also say they like politicians who stick to their positions, even if unpopular.

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    Campus Rampage is 2007’s Biggest Story By Far

    The Attorney General faced a grilling from Congress, the Supreme Court weighed in on abortion rights, hundreds were slaughtered in a single day in Iraq, and a vicious storm wreaked havoc on the East Coast. But each of those events last week was completely overshadowed by the media’s non-stop coverage of the horrific events that unfolded on the campus of Virginia Tech.

  • report

    Religion and the Presidential Vote: A Tale of Two Gaps

    by John C. Green, Senior Fellow in Religion and American Politics For the presidential candidates and the pundits who write about them, one concern in the 2008 campaign is the “religion gap” – shorthand for the religious differences between Republican and Democratic voters. An analysis of national exit polls from 2004 shows there is not […]