Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Public support for gay marriage continues to edge upward. At the same time, support for legal abortion has rebounded, after declining in 2009. In contrast, there has been no movement in public attitudes toward gun control. The public remains evenly divided over whether it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own […]
Staunch Conservatives 9% OF ADULT POPULATION /11% OF REGISTERED VOTERS Basic Description: This extremely partisan Republican group is strongly conservative on economic and social policy and favors an assertive foreign policy. They are highly engaged in politics, most (72%) agree with the Tea Party, 54% regularly watch Fox News, and nearly half (47%) believe that […]
Overview The public continues to favor tough measures to crack down on illegal immigration. Yet Americans see no contradiction in supporting both stepped-up border security and a way for people already in the United States illegally to gain citizenship. The idea of changing the constitution to bar the children of illegal immigrants from becoming citizens […]
The ongoing demonstrations in Wisconsin over public worker benefits and collective bargaining rights have had little effect on overall views of labor unions. In the current survey, 47% hold a favorable view of labor unions, compared with 39% who have an unfavorable view. In early February – before the Wisconsin demonstrations – the balance of […]
Overview Views about the existence and causes of global warming have changed little over the past year. A new Pew Research Center poll finds that 59% of adults say there is solid evidence that the earth’s average temperature has been getting warmer over the past few decades. In October 2009, 57% said this. Roughly a […]
The fighting in the Mideast, and especially Libya, topped the news last week, narrowly ahead of the U.S. economy. But perhaps the most interesting development was the emergence of the presidential campaign as a major story—thanks in large part to one controversial candidate-in-waiting.
Barack Obama’s approval ratings have improved somewhat in the last few months. Currently, more Americans say they approve of the way he is handling his job as president than say they disapprove (49% vs. 42%). Opinion was more closely divided throughout the fall and earlier this winter (in November 44% approved while an identical percentage […]
Overall, the public is divided over whether it is more important for the federal government to reduce the budget deficit or spend to help the economy recover. About half (49%) say that reducing the budget deficit should be the federal government’s higher priority, while nearly as many (46%) say the priority should be spending to […]