Republicans and Democrats are more divided along ideological lines – and partisan acrimony is deeper and more extensive – than at any point in recent history. And these trends manifest themselves in myriad ways, both in politics and in everyday life.
The newly elected 113th Congress includes the first Buddhist to serve in the Senate, the first Hindu to serve in either chamber and the first member of Congress to describe her religion as “none.” While Congress remains majority Protestant, the institution is far less so today than it was 50 years ago.
A November 2011 Pew Forum report gave a brief history of organized religious advocacy in Washington, D.C., and examined the major characteristics of religion-related advocacy. The Pew Forum hosted an event to discuss the report’s key findings with journalists, policymakers and representatives from organizations that advocate on religion-related issues in Washington.
The political overhaul of the U.S. Congress after the 2010 elections appears to have had little effect on the religious composition of the legislative body, which is similar to the religious makeup of the previous Congress and of the nation, according to an analysis by the Pew Forum.
Election-year politics and a noteworthy poll made up the hottest story in the blogosphere last week. Meanwhile on Twitter, a technology topic involving oft-scrutinized Apple topped the news agenda. And on YouTube, the most popular subject by far was Paul the octopus, the world-class World Cup handicapper.
Bloggers were sharply critical of Google last week, accusing the internet giant of shifting its position on a key online policy. Meanwhile, a column arguing against a mosque near the site of Ground Zero drew plaudits. On Twitter, a baseball mishap made the roster of top stories while the No. 1 YouTube video had Boy Scouts booing Barack Obama.
Most experts surveyed in Pew Internet/Elon University study say cloud computing is taking over; some warn about security, privacy, availability of broadband spectrum, and issues related to consumer choice and control.
TOPIC
FORMAT
AUTHOR
RESEARCH AREA
Copyright 2024 Pew Research Center