Politics Archives

short readsApr 15, 2014

On Tax Day, Americans’ views of taxes and the IRS

Five facts about how Americans feel about the tax system and the IRS
short readsApr 10, 2014

Gay marriage battle moves back to courts

A federal appeals court today will hear arguments in a constitutional challenge to Utah’s same-sex marriage ban – the first of five court challenges to state bans taking place over the next two weeks. This flurry of court activity comes on the heels of a number of other decisions striking down same-sex marriage bans in […]
reportApr 10, 2014

More Republicans See Health Care Stance as ‘Very Important’ to Midterm Vote

Survey Report In looking ahead to this fall’s elections, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view a candidate’s position on the Affordable Care Act as very important to their vote. A new national survey finds that 64% of Republican registered voters say a candidate’s stance on the health care law will be very important […]
short readsApr 4, 2014

WashPost/Kaiser: Many Iraq and Afghanistan veterans bring home the burdens of war

Veterans returning from serving in Iraq or Afghanistan say they have found re-entering civilian life to be difficult. A significant share says they have experienced outbursts of anger in daily life. Others say their mental or emotional health is worse since their time in the service, or that they have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.
short readsApr 2, 2014

Feds may be rethinking the drug war, but states have been leading the way

Faced with overcrowded prisons and soaring correctional costs, states are rethinking how to define and punish drug crimes.
reportApr 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 […]
short readsApr 1, 2014

Americans: Disengaged, feeling less respected, but still see U.S. as world’s military superpower

Polls show that Americans don’t want to get too involved in Ukraine’s problems with Russian encroachment, just as they have been disinclined to get drawn into other recent world trouble spots, including Syria, Egypt and Libya.
reportMar 30, 2014

Democrats Face Challenges in This Year’s Midterm Elections

While Democrats are more popular than the GOP among the general public, the party faces a number of challenges in November, writes Andrew Kohut in the Wall Street Journal.
reportMar 27, 2014

Obama Approval, Congressional Ballot Topline
short readsMar 26, 2014

Obama, Americans put more emphasis on ties with Europe

President Obama emphasized the importance of U.S.-European relations in Brussels today amid the allies’ growing concerns about Russia’s increasingly assertive behavior in Eastern Europe — and at a time when most Americans see political, economic and military ties with the continent as more important than they did several years ago.