Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Publications

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    Modest Support for Missile Defense, No Panic on China

    Introduction and Summary As George W. Bush makes his first overseas trip as president, he has the backing of the American public on a pair of high-profile security and foreign policy issues. The public favors his call for developing a national missile defense system and feels he is taking the right tack in handling relations […]

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    Death Penalty Cases Stir Debate, Uncover Religious Differences

    The scheduled executions of U.S. federal prisoners for the first time in nearly four decades, as well as the recent Supreme Court decision overturning the death sentence of a mentally retarded prisoner, have once again brought debate over capital punishment into the American public square. In light of recent events, the Pew Forum on Religion […]

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    Religious Reflections on the Death Penalty

    Washington, D.C. Discussants: John Carr, Secretary, Department of Social Development and World Peace, US Catholic Conference Nathan Diament, Director of Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Barrett Duke, Vice President of Research, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Southern Baptist Convention Rev. Joseph Lowery, Chairman, Black Leadership Forum and Co-founder, President Emeritus, Southern […]

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    Uncle Sam Sold $3.6 Billion in Goods to the Public Online Last Year from 164 Web Sites

    Contact: Lee Rainie Director, Pew Internet & American Life Project 202-296-0019 Allan Holmes Editor in chief, Federal Computer Week 703-876-5102 Judi Hasson Editor at large, Federal Computer Week 703-876-5099 Or contact: Graeme Browning, 301-775-1983 (cell) Uncle Sam Sold $3.6 Billion in Goods to the Public Online Last Year from 164 Web Sites The government “shopping […]

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    From News Interest To Lifestyles, Energy Takes Hold

    Introduction and Summary Rising energy costs are having a major impact on how Americans are living their lives, affecting everything from their driving habits to the news stories they follow. More than two-thirds say they have been adjusting their thermostats to cope with soaring utility bills, and half report cutting back on driving to save […]

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    The Internet, Cities and Civil Society

    The city, the Internet, and civil society are three things that together might seem a little incongruous. The city is a physical place that remains an important part of modern society, not withstanding prophecies that communications technology will render cities irrelevant. Civil society is in some ways an ideal, a place where “citizens are active, […]

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    No Consensus on the Census

    Introduction and Summary Dramatic increases in both the size and ethnic diversity of America’s population, reflected in the 2000 census, are drawing a mixed reaction from the public. Consistent with a long-term rise in favorable attitudes toward immigrants, more people say today’s immigrants are better able to adapt to American life than did so four […]

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    The Declining Support For Executions

    Rising public opposition to the death penalty has been one of the few liberal social trends in recent years. But there is some reason to wonder whether the public’s overwhelming enthusiasm for executing Timothy McVeigh will stall or possibly reverse this development. Every nationwide poll taken has found the vast majority of Americans favoring the […]