Roughly nine-in-ten U.S. Catholics say they believe in the concept of sin – that there are actions or deeds that can be offensive to God. But there is less unanimity among Catholics about which specific actions or behaviors constitute a sin. For example, while most Catholics say abortion is sinful, they are divided as to […]
This chapter looks at a handful of issues in the biomedical arena. No single set of factors is central to explaining views across all of these topics. One of the issues we examined related to changing a baby’s genetic characteristics for specific purposes. Views of genetic modification are influenced by religious observance, as measured by […]
The public’s trust in the federal government continues to be at historically low levels. Only 19% of Americans today say they can trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (3%) or “most of the time” (16%). Fewer than three-in-ten Americans have expressed trust in the federal government in every […]
The Pew Research survey included a handful of questions related to genetically modified (GM) foods and one on the safety of foods grown with pesticides. This chapter looks at each of these in turn. The findings point to a mix of factors that are central to the public’s beliefs about food safety. Women and blacks […]
Overall, a solid majority of adults in the U.S. say government investment in both basic science research and in engineering and technology “pay off in the long run” (71% and 72%, respectively). A minority says government investments in either area are not worth it. Support for government investments has held steady since Pew Research last […]