Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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On illegal immigration, about four-in-ten give equal priority to better border security and creating a path to citizenship.
Overview As Barack Obama begins his second term in office, trust in the federal government remains mired near a historic low, while frustration with government remains high. And for the first time, a majority of the public says that the federal government threatens their personal rights and freedoms. The latest national survey by the Pew […]
For decades, the public has sympathized more with Israel than the Palestinians in the Middle East conflict. However, the partisan gap in sympathies, while little changed in recent years, is as large as it has been in more than three decades of polling. Discussion of the U.S.-Israeli relationship is likely to come to the fore […]
John Kerry, the secretary of state nominee, gets mixed ratings from the public, with 39% offering a favorable view and 36% an unfavorable one.
Much has changed over the past 25 years – internationally, domestically and technologically. But through this period, the public’s core values have remained relatively stable. The way that the public thinks about poverty, opportunity, business, unions, religion, civic duty, foreign affairs and many other subjects is, to a large extent, the same today as in […]
Overview As Barack Obama and Mitt Romney prepare for their first debate on Oct. 3, the issues at the top of the voters’ agenda have changed little since 2008. Fully 87% of registered voters say that the economy will be very important to their vote, while 83% say jobs will be very important to their […]
Barack Obama is in a relatively strong position heading into his second term. His job approval now stands at 52% – among the highest since his first year in office. A year ago, 44% said they approved of the way Obama was handling his job as president. Both Democrats and independents offer more positive assessments […]
People in non-gun-owning households have more positive views about the possible impact of stricter gun laws than those who live in a household with a gun. Majorities of those in non-gun households say that stricter gun laws would reduce deaths from mass shootings (66%) and accidents (65%), and would keep guns away from criminals (63%). […]
As the 113th Congress gets underway, the favorable ratings for the legislative branch match lows from more than two decades of Pew Research Center surveys. Just 23% of Americans say they have a favorable opinion of Congress. Nearly seven-in-ten (68%) have an unfavorable view. Four years ago, as Obama came into office, 40% said they […]