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.
Politics
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Most Americans view openness to foreigners as ‘essential to who we are as a nation’
For a large majority of Americans, the country’s openness to people from around the world “is essential to who we are as a nation.” In a new Pew Research Center survey, 68% say America’s openness to foreigners is a defining characteristic of the nation, while just 26% say “if America is too open to people from all over the world, we risk losing our identity as a nation.”
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After 17 years of war in Afghanistan, more say U.S. has failed than succeeded in achieving its goals
About half of U.S. adults say the country’s mission in Afghanistan has mostly failed in achieving its goals, while about a third say it has mostly succeeded.
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Partisans are divided over the fairness of the U.S. economy – and why people are rich or poor
Around six-in-ten U.S. adults say the nation’s economic system unfairly favors powerful interests, though partisans are divided. Partisan differences extend to beliefs about why people are rich or poor.
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2018 Midterm Voters: Issues and Political Values
Supporters of Republican and Democratic candidates in the upcoming congressional election are deeply divided over the government’s role in ensuring health care, the fairness of the nation’s economic system and views of racial equality in the United States.
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Most continue to say ensuring health care coverage is government’s responsibility
Six-in-ten Americans say it is the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all Americans have health care coverage. The share of Americans saying health care coverage is a government responsibility remains at its highest level in a decade.
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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.
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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.
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Trump Gets Negative Ratings for Many Personal Traits, but Most Say He Stands Up for His Beliefs
Donald Trump receives generally negative ratings from the public across a range of personal traits and characteristics. Just 24% of Americans say Trump is even-tempered, while nearly three times as many (70%) say that description does not apply to him. Fewer than half say that Trump is a strong leader (43%), well-informed (38%), empathetic (36%) […]
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10 years after the financial crisis, Americans are divided on security of U.S. economic system
The U.S. public is about evenly split on whether the U.S. economic system is more secure today than it was before the financial crisis. Republicans are now more likely to view the system as more secure.
