Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Politics

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    Political Knowledge Update

    Overview What’s Your News IQ? Take the LatestQuiz Nearly nine-in-ten Americans know that China was the source of dangerous toys and tainted food recently in the news. And sizeable majorities can identify House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Sunni as the branch of Islam struggling with the Shia for control in […]

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    Clinton Seen as ’Tough’ and ’Smart’ — Giuliani as ’Energetic’

    Summary of Findings The public is no more engaged by the presidential campaign than it was in the spring, and the candidates’ images remain somewhat blurry. But the personal strengths of several leading candidates are beginning to come into focus for voters. Views of Hillary Clinton are more sharply drawn than those of other leading […]

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    The Oprah Factor and Campaign 2008

    Summary of Findings Hillary Clinton continues to lead Barack Obama by a wide margin in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. But Obama has something Clinton doesn’t have — the support of Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey endorsed Obama in May of this year and recently held a fundraiser for him at her Malibu, Calif. home. […]

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    Petraeus’ Proposals Favored, But No Lift in War Support

    Summary of Findings Last week’s congressional testimony by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, followed by President Bush’s address to the nation, has not changed bottom-line public attitudes toward the war in Iraq. However, there has been a modest increase in positive views about the U.S. military effort, accompanied by largely positive public reactions […]

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    GOP Candidates Draw Coverage, But Clinton Still Most Visible

    Summary of Findings The 2008 presidential campaign was once again a big story last week with most news coverage devoted to the Republican presidential candidates. While media coverage focused primarily on Republicans, the public directed most of its attention to the Democratic contenders. When asked which candidate they have heard the most about in the […]

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    A Nation of “Haves” and “Have-Nots”?

    Over the past two decades, a growing share of the public has come to the view that American society is divided into two groups, the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Today, Americans are split evenly on the two-class question with as many saying the country is divided along economic lines as say this is not the […]

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    Clinton and Giuliani Seen as Not Highly Religious; Romney’s Religion Raises Concerns

    Summary of Findings So far religion is not proving to be a clear-cut positive in the 2008 presidential campaign. The candidates viewed by voters as the least religious among the leading contenders are the current frontrunners for the Democratic and Republican nominations — Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, respectively. On the other hand, the candidate […]

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    What Could Convince Americans to Stay the Course in Iraq?

    No question looms larger on the national scene than how Americans will react to the progress reported by Iraq commander Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker when they testify before Congress next week. A look at the course of opinions about the Iraq conflict over the past few years suggests that two crucial […]