Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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Publications

  • report

    Iraq Most Closely Followed and Covered News Story

    Summary of Findings The public and the news media divided their attention last week among the top international stories, harsh winter weather, politics and the ongoing saga surrounding the death of Anna Nicole Smith. The Iraq war remained the No. 1 story both in terms of public interest and news coverage, however, the public hung […]

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    Christians First, Americans Second

    That’s the proportion of U.S. adults who say they see themselves as Christians first rather than as Americans first. An additional 7% say they self-identify as both equally.

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    Hispanic Employment Gains

    That’s the increase in overall employment for Hispanics between the second quarters of 2005 and 2006.

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    Casual Sex Among the Young

    That’s the number of Gen Next Americans (18-25 year olds) who say today’s youth are more likely to have casual sex than were young people 20 years ago. Only 7% of Nexters say their generation has less casual sex and 17% say they have about the same amount. Gen Nexters offer some other fairly harsh assessments about how their behavior and lifestyle compare with the generation that preceded them.

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    Talk Hosts Love to Debate Iraq

    Even in a week with North Korea, Iran, Anna Nicole, and Hillary on the front burner, it’s U.S. strategy in the Iraq war that commands the talk airwaves. And the dominance of that debate reveals something about the nature of the talk show culture.

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    Cell Phone Counter-Revolution

    To keep lawmakers focused on debate — and limit lobbyists’ influence — statehouses from coast to coast are restricting cell phones, instant messaging and use of those mini-computers found under the thumbs of compulsive e-mailers on the floors of state legislatures.

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    Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why

    Social trust is a belief in the honesty, integrity and reliability of others – a “faith in people.” It’s a simple enough concept to describe. But it’s never been easy to figure out who trusts, or why.

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    States Considering Bans on Trans Fats

    That’s the number of states in which legislators are currently considering full or partial statewide bans on trans fats, following the lead set by New York City in early December when it instituted a ban on trans fats in restaurants and school cafeterias.