Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
The existential threats posed by terrorism and the spread of weapons of mass destruction rate as leading long-term U.S. policy concerns, in the view of both opinion leaders and the public. But there also is a widely shared belief that decreasing the nation’s dependence on imported energy should be a major policy objective. Fully 87% […]
The number of immigrants living in the United States has been increasing steadily since 1970 as measured by the size of the foreign-born population in decennial censuses. Fueled primarily by immigration from Latin America—especially Mexico—and Asia, the foreign-born population grew from 9.6 million in 1970 to 19.8 million in 1990. In the last decade of […]
Introduction and Summary Preoccupied with war abroad and growing problems at home, U.S. opinion leaders and the general public are taking a decidedly cautious view of America’s place in the world. Over the past four years, opinion leaders have become less supportive of the United States playing a “first among equals” role among the world’s […]
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, public opinion surveys as well as media reporting portrayed an America deeply divided along racial lines. In an early September Pew survey, for example, two-thirds of African Americans, but fewer than one-in-five whites, said that the government response would have been faster had most victims been white. This raises […]
Public attitudes toward Muslims and concerns over Islamic extremism are remarkably consistent in Western Europe, the U.S., and other countries with sizeable Muslim minorities. Majorities in all Western European countries as well as Canada, India and Russia agree that Muslims coming to their countries want to be distinct from the larger country instead of adopting […]
There is substantial support in most countries for a military rival to challenge America’s global dominance. But the idea of China, in particular, emerging as the counterforce to the U.S. draws a more mixed reaction, especially in Europe. Throughout Europe, majorities feel it would be a bad thing if China were to become as militarily […]