What Was — and Wasn’t — On the Public’s Mind in 2007
A compilation of the top 15 stories in which public opinion played a significant role, and the year’s most notable “non-barking dogs.”
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
A compilation of the top 15 stories in which public opinion played a significant role, and the year’s most notable “non-barking dogs.”
The public is ambivalent about the immigration bill being debated in the Senate, but a majority favors one of its key goals – providing a way for illegal aliens to become citizens. The public supports such a provision even when it is described as “amnesty,” a new Pew survey finds.
A recent report, “Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream,” attracted a great deal of attention but also raised a number of questions about the research. Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions.
Interest in news about inflation at the pump goes beyond learning where to find the cheapest gallon and extends to impacts on the national economy.
With his renewed push for a comprehensive immigration bill, President Bush is advancing a potentially powerful political wedge issue, but one with an unlikely twist: Immigration fractures the president’s own party at least as much as it divides the opposition.
A review of recent polling reveals that on most — though not all issues — the candidates are in tune with the majority of Republicans, but somewhat at odds with the broader public.
Once again, public opinion played a major role in the most important news stories of the year. Some of the strongest 2006 trends in public opinion carried over from previous years — notably growing concern about the Iraq war and mounting dissatisfaction with the performance of the Republican-controlled Congress.
A sweeping election tends to invite sweeping conclusions — and the Democrats’ takeover of both houses of Congress this November provides a tempting array of opportunities for exaggeration or misinterpretation. With that in mind, let’s look at the major lessons to be gleaned from the exit polls and opinion polls about how America voted this November.
The key to the strong Democratic showing yesterday was the support their candidates drew from moderate and independent voters, an analysis of the exit polls shows. With more than nine-in-ten Republicans and Democrats casting ballots for representatives of their parties, just as they did two years ago, the Democrats’ 57%-39% advantage among independents proved crucial.
In the aftermath of the 2006 election, the shifting allegiance of some important voter groups has gotten relatively little attention. One of the biggest stories is about young people. Another is what really happened to “The God Gap.” And a third is about the one-fifth of voters who aren’t white.
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