Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
On blogs, PolitiFact’s decision to call out Democrats for lying about GOP plans for Medicare led to a heated political argument. And on YouTube, viewers were fascinated by the public outpouring from North Korean citizens following the death of Kim Jong Il.
In contrast to opinions about Medicare and Social Security, there are clear partisan differences in assessments of Medicaid. About three-quarters of the public (77%) say the program has been good for the country, but that percentage rises to 91% of Democrats and falls to 68% of Republicans; 75% of independents say it has been good […]
Overview Ten years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the events of that day retain a powerful hold on the public’s collective consciousness. Virtually every American remembers what they were doing at the moment the attacks occurred. Substantial majorities say that 9/11 had a profound personal impact and that the attacks changed the […]
Overview The number of Americans hearing mostly bad news about the economy has fallen 12 points over the past month and 31 points since fears of a new recession intensified in August. Currently, 56% say the news they are hearing about the economy is a mix of good and bad, while 36% say the news […]
As views of national conditions worsen, Barack Obama’s job ratings remain mixed: 48% disapprove of the way Obama is handling his job as president, while 44% approve. This is little changed from June (46% approve, 45% disapprove). In early May, immediately following the announcement of Osama bin Laden’s death, 56% approved of Obama’s job performance. […]
A majority of Americans (56%) say the United States has mostly succeeded in achieving its goals in Iraq. And the public is overwhelmingly supportive of winding down U.S. military involvement in the country: Fully 75% approve of Barack Obama’s decision to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of the year. Just […]
The age differences in political attitudes and voting choices in the past three election cycles have been driven by three broad social and political trends. The first is the growing racial and ethnic diversity of the country, reflected in the rising percentage of non-whites among younger age cohorts. Non-whites have been far more supportive of […]