The Tea Party’s Effect on the Midterms?
If you are a Republican, what’s not to like about the Tea Party movement? From this vantage point, a number of risks seem possible, if not probable.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
Politics
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Public Tracking Health Care, Deadly Mine Accident
Summary of Findings Americans continued to track news about the new health care law more closely than any other major story last week, though the media devoted the most attention to the deadly explosion in a West Virginia coal mine—and just 3% of coverage to health care reform. A third of the public (33%) says […]
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Broad Criticism of Pope Benedict’s Handling of Sex Abuse Scandal
Overview Amid new revelations of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI’s job ratings for handling the scandal have plummeted. Only about one-in-ten (12%) say the pope has done an excellent (3%) or good job (9%) in addressing the sex abuse scandal; 71% say he has done a poor (44%) or only fair […]
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Public Remains Focused on Health Care Reform
Summary of Findings Americans say they tracked news about the newly enacted health care reform law more closely than other major news stories last week, though the health care debate did not dominate coverage as it had during the final votes in Congress late last month. Close to half the public (48%) followed news about […]
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Public Support For Legalizing Medical Marijuana
Overview With a growing number of states moving to legalize medical marijuana, nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%) say they favor their state allowing the sale and use of marijuana for medical purposes if it is prescribed by a doctor, while 23% are opposed. Support for legalizing medical marijuana spans all major political and demographic groups, […]
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Health Care Debate Tops Public Interest, Coverage
Summary of Findings The long-running debate over health care reform continued to dominate public attention and media coverage last week as the final skirmishes played out on Capitol Hill and President Obama set out to promote the newly-enacted law. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they followed the health care debate more closely than any other […]
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Young People Make Up Large Proportion of Census Hold-Outs
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Young People Make Up Large Proportion of Census Hold-Outs
Younger Americans are found to be more likely to say they might not participate, even when analysis controls for other demographic characteristics.
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Health Care Finale: Heavy Coverage, Huge Interest
Summary of Findings Americans closely tracked the final stages of the long-running debate over health care reform legislation last week as the story dominated media coverage. More than half (53%) of the public says the debate was the story they followed most closely, while the story was the focus of 37% of news coverage. Half […]
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Public Divided Over State, Local Laws Banning Handguns
Overview The public is divided over whether state and local governments should be able to pass laws banning the sale and possession of handguns. The Supreme Court is expected to rule in the next few months on the constitutionality of a 28-year-old Chicago law prohibiting handgun ownership in that city. Half of the public (50%) […]