Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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Politics

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    Section 2: Views of the New Congress

    As Congress begins with a new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, about a third (34%) of Americans approve of GOP congressional leaders’ policies and plans for the future; 43% disapprove. Public approval of Republican plans has declined by seven points since the party won back the House in November’s election; two months ago […]

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    About the Surveys

    Most of the analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted January 5-9, 2011 among a national sample of 1,503 adults 18 years of age or older living in the continental United States (1,000 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 503 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 235 who had […]

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    Friend or Foe? How Americans See China

    When Chinese President Hu Jintao visits Washington next week, he will be greeted by an American public that looks to Asia- — rather than to Europe — as the region of the world most important to U.S. interests.

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    Views of Gun Control — A Detailed Demographic Breakdown

    Opinion about gun control has been split since April 2009, but this marked a substantial change in attitudes from previous years in which majorities of Americans consistently prioritized gun control over gun rights. See a breakdown of opinion about gun control across numerous demographic categories.

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    Strengthen Ties with China, But Get Tough on Trade

    Overview As President Obama prepares to host Chinese President Hu Jintao next week, Americans increasingly see Asia as the region of the world that is most important to the United States. Nearly half (47%) say Asia is most important, compared with just 37% who say Europe, home to many of America’s closest traditional allies. Views […]

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    Economic News Seen as Less Negative

    Summary of Findings Though the new Congress convened in Washington last week, Americans focused most closely on news about the nation’s economy – until they heard about Saturday’s shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., that left six dead and a congresswoman fighting for her life. At that point, the shootings became the public’s top story. Before […]

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    Strengthen Ties with China, But Get Tough on Trade

    As President Obama prepares to host Chinese President Hu Jintao next week, Americans increasingly see Asia as the region of the world that is most important to the United States. While Americans see China as a rising global power, relatively few characterize the U.S.-China relationship as adversarial; China is seen primarily as an economic threat, rather than a military one.

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    Press Coverage and Public Interest: Matches and Mismatches

    Summary of Findings A series of major breaking stories captured the attention of both the public and the media in 2010, while news about the nation’s struggling economy consistently attracted high levels of public interest and coverage throughout the year. Each week, the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press conducts national public […]

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    Internet Gains on Television as Public’s Main News Source

    Overview The internet is slowly closing in on television as Americans’ main source of national and international news. Currently, 41% say they get most of their news about national and international news from the internet, which is little changed over the past two years but up 17 points since 2007. Television remains the most widely […]