report | Apr 2, 2014

America’s New Drug Policy Landscape

The public appears ready for a truce in the long-running war on drugs. A national survey by the Pew Research Center finds that 67% of Americans say that the government should focus more on providing treatment for those who use illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Just 26% think the government’s focus should be […]

report | Mar 25, 2014

Concerns about Russia Rise, But Just a Quarter Call Moscow an Adversary

Survey Report In the wake of Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region, public concern about Russia has increased, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Even so, when given the choice, more describe Russia as a serious problem but not an adversary (43%) than say it represents an adversary (26%). Just 22% say Russia […]

report | Mar 24, 2014

Nearly Half of Public Says ‘Right Amount’ of Malaysian Jet Coverage

Survey Report The public followed news about the missing Malaysia Airlines plane more closely than any other story last week. While the story has attracted extensive news coverage, especially from cable TV outlets, most Americans do not feel there has been too much coverage of the missing jetliner. The latest national survey by the Pew […]

report | Mar 20, 2014

ACA at Age 4: More Disapproval than Approval

Survey Report As the four-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act approaches, the law remains unpopular with the public. Currently, 53% disapprove of the 2010 health care law while 41% approve of the law. Opinion of the measure is virtually unchanged since last September. However, the new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted […]

report | Mar 19, 2014

Keystone XL Pipeline Divides Democrats

Survey Report As the Obama administration deliberates over whether to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built, the proposed pipeline continues to draw broad support from the public. Currently, 61% favor building the pipeline while 27% are opposed. These views have changed little over the past year. As previous surveys on the pipeline proposal […]

report | Mar 11, 2014

Most Say U.S. Should ‘Not Get Too Involved’ in Ukraine Situation

Survey Report As Russian troops remain in Ukraine’s Crimea region and Crimea’s Parliament has set up a secession vote, Americans prefer the U.S. to not get too involved in the situation. By a roughly two-to-one margin (56% vs. 29%), the public says it is more important for the U.S. to not get involved in the […]

report | Feb 27, 2014

Public Divided Over Increased Deportation of Unauthorized Immigrants

Survey Report Immigration legislation is stalled in the House, but the public continues to broadly support a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants. At the same time, however, Americans are evenly divided over the growing number of undocumented immigrants who have been deported from the U.S. in recent years, with as many viewing this as […]

report | Feb 11, 2014

Mixed Views of Economic News Persist

Survey Report Over the past year, the unemployment rate has fallen, but so too has the share of Americans in the labor force. The stock market rose during much of 2013, before falling at the start of this year. Through it all, the public’s perceptions of economic news have changed very little. Currently, 61% say […]

report | Feb 4, 2014

Public Skeptical of Decision to Hold Olympic Games in Russia

Survey Report With the 2014 Winter Olympics approaching, more say it was a bad decision (44%) than a good decision (32%) to hold the games in Russia. About one-in-four (24%) say they don’t know. Concerns about terrorism and safety are foremost among those who think it was a bad decision to hold the Olympics in […]

report | Jan 30, 2014

More Now See Failure than Success in Iraq, Afghanistan

Survey Report After more than a decade of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the public does not think the United States has achieved its goals in either country. About half of Americans (52%) say the U.S. has mostly failed to achieve its goals in Afghanistan while 38% say it has mostly succeeded. Opinions about the […]

report | Jan 27, 2014

Deficit Reduction Declines as Policy Priority

Survey Report For the first time since Barack Obama took office in 2009, deficit reduction has slipped as a policy priority among the public. Overall, 63% say reducing the budget deficit should be a top priority for Congress and the president this year, down from 72% a year ago. Most of the decline has come […]

report | Jan 23, 2014

Most See Inequality Growing, but Partisans Differ over Solutions

Survey Report There is broad public agreement that economic inequality has grown over the past decade. But as President Obama prepares for Tuesday’s State of the Union, where he is expected to unveil proposals for dealing with inequality and poverty, there are wide partisan differences over how much the government should – and can – […]

report | Jan 20, 2014

Obama’s NSA Speech Has Little Impact on Skeptical Public

Survey Report President Obama’s speech on Friday outlining changes to the National Security Agency’s collection of telephone and internet data did not register widely with the public. Half say they have heard nothing at all about his  proposed changes to the NSA, and another 41% say they heard only a little bit. Even among those […]

report | Jan 20, 2014

Christie’s Image Turns More Negative

Survey Report Chris Christie’s public image today is starkly different than it was a year ago.  Last January, following Christie’s visible role in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, favorable opinions outnumbered unfavorable ones by more than two-to-one. Today, in the wake of a scandal involving highway lane closures that led to massive traffic jams in northern […]

report | Jan 13, 2014

Christie Story Attracts Little Public Interest

Survey Report The public paid far more attention to last week’s cold snap than to the controversy swirling around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. There also has been little short-term change in opinions about Christie: 60% say their opinion of Christie has not changed in recent days, while 16% now view him less favorably and […]

report | Jan 7, 2014

In New Year, Half Are Looking Forward to Midterm Elections

Survey Report As 2014 begins and the midterm election campaigns heat up, about half of the public (51%) is especially looking forward to November’s congressional elections while 49% are not looking forward to them. The new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Jan. 2-5 among 1,005 adults, finds that 58% are looking forward […]

report | Dec 19, 2013

In Deficit Debate, Public Resists Cuts in Entitlements and Aid to Poor

Survey Report As President Obama prepares to sign a bipartisan budget agreement that its proponents describe as a modest step toward addressing the deficit, the public shows little appetite for making some of the spending cuts often discussed as part of a broader “grand bargain” on the budget. The latest national survey by the Pew […]

report | Dec 18, 2013

No Improvement in Public’s Views of Economic News

Survey Report As the Federal Reserve meets to discuss whether to keep up its $85-billion-a-month bond-buying program, the public’s perceptions of recent economic news have shown little change. Six-in-ten (60%) are hearing a mix of good and bad news about the economy. Far more say they are hearing mostly bad news about the economy (31%) […]

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