Despite recent violence, Chicago is far from the U.S. ‘murder capital’
St. Louis led the nation with 66.1 murders per 100,000 people in 2017. It was followed by Baltimore, Detroit, New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Methods
-
-
Weekday elections set the U.S. apart from many other advanced democracies
Many of the millions of Americans voting in Tuesday’s midterm elections will have to do so while working around the demands of their jobs – hitting their polling places before work, taking an extra-long lunch break or going afterward and hoping to make it before the polls close. As they stand in line, many of them may wonder why it is that the United States votes on a Tuesday, of all days.
-
6 facts about English language learners in U.S. public schools
English language learners in U.S. K-12 public schools are a diverse group from many different states and native language backgrounds.
-
‘Defining the universe’ is essential when writing about survey data
Given the wide range of people we speak to for our polls – and the issues we ask them about – it’s important to be as clear as possible about exactly who says what. In research circles, this practice is sometimes called “defining the universe.”
-
The real value of a $15 minimum wage depends on where you live
Although most Americans back a higher minimum wage, wide disparities in local living costs make finding an appropriate rate difficult.
-
Comparing Survey Sampling Strategies: Random-Digit Dial vs. Voter Files
A new telephone survey experiment finds that an opinion poll drawn from a commercial voter file produces results similar to those from a sample based on random-digit dialing.
-
Turnout in this year’s U.S. House primaries rose sharply, especially on the Democratic side
Turnout in this year’s primaries for Congress and most state governorships surged compared with the last midterms in 2014, particularly among Democrats. Nearly a fifth (19.6%) of registered voters – about 37 million – cast ballots in primary elections for the U.S. House of Representatives – a 56% increase over the 23.7 million who voted in 2014’s House primaries. Turnout that year was 13.7% of registered voters.
-
Trump has appointed a larger share of female judges than other GOP presidents, but lags Obama
Women account for 28% of the 67 judges Trump has appointed to the federal courts since taking office, well below the share appointed by Barack Obama but higher than the share appointed by any other Republican president. Seven of the 67 judges (10%) are racial or ethnic minorities.
-
Few women lead large U.S. companies, despite modest gains over past decade
While women are still underrepresented in top corporate jobs, there has been a small increase in the share of women executives in such positions over the past decade.
-
Swedish election highlights decline of center-left parties across Western Europe
Sweden’s general election extended two trends now prominent across Western Europe: The rise of right-wing populist parties and the decline of center-left parties.
