Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Americans have used multiple sources to try to make sense of what is happening in the general economy. Just as people have options in getting material that helps them cope with stressful circumstances, they also can consult a variety of sources as they try to understand what has happened to the economy and the policies […]
States About half of the nation’s estimated 11.9 million unauthorized immigrants live in just four states: California, Texas, Florida and New York. Their undocumented populations range in size from about 900,000 to 2.7 million. In another group of four states—New Jersey, Arizona, Georgia and Illinois—the populations of unauthorized immigrants hover around half a million. The […]
Before the American Revolution, most of the original colonies used tax dollars to support religious activity. Indeed, several colonies chose a single church as their officially established religion, and these churches enjoyed many privileges not extended to other religious groups. For instance, the Anglican Church enjoyed government support in some of the Southern colonies, while […]
A majority of Americans say now is a good time to buy a home in their area.
The 2009 political values study finds that the deep partisan fissures in values and core attitudes have continued to widen. Across 48 value questions asked consistently over the past 22 years, the average difference between the opinions of Democrats and Republicans has grown from nine percentage points as recently as 1997 to a new high […]
The online community focused on two primary subjects last week – the passing of singer Michael Jackson and the continuing unrest in Iran. The reaction to the King of Pop’s death, along with stunning video of an Iranian woman referred to as “Neda,” demonstrated again not only the power of social media but the range of its use.
A financial report card for U.S. banks returned the economic crisis to the top of the news agenda last week while the fighting in Pakistan and Afghanistan also became a major story.
Summary of Findings Americans by a wide margin say they are hearing mostly negative news about the nation’s job situation, though they are more likely to sense a mix of good and bad news about other elements of the economy. With the jobless rate climbing, seven-in-ten (71%) say they are hearing mostly bad news about […]
The standard laid out by O’Connor in Mitchell dramatically increased the government’s options for partnering with religious groups. For example, in 2001, prompted in part by the Mitchell ruling, President George W. Bush announced his faith-based initiative, which sought to eliminate all federal policies that disqualified religious groups from participating in social welfare programs. So […]