Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Search results for: “partisan divide”

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    Gloomy Americans Bash Congress, Are Divided on Obama

    Overview As the day of reckoning for health care reform approaches, Americans have little to cheer about. Nearly everyone (92%) gives the national economy a negative rating. Closer to home, 85% say that jobs are hard to find in their community. A majority (54%) now says that someone in their household has been without a […]

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    Section 2: The Midterm Elections

    Voting intentions for this fall’s midterm elections continue to be closely divided. Currently, 45% of registered voters say that if the election were held today they would vote for the Democratic candidate in their district, or lean to the Democrat, while 42% say they would for the Republican candidate or lean to the GOP candidate. […]

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    After Lengthy Hiatus, Health Care Dominates Again

    With the legislative process stalled in recent weeks, the media turned away from health care reform. But President Obama’s much-awaited February 25 summit meeting changed that. Meanwhile, a modicum of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill fueled coverage of the economy and a mea culpa before Congress put Toyota in the headlines.

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    Health Care Finale: Heavy Coverage, Huge Interest

    Summary of Findings Americans closely tracked the final stages of the long-running debate over health care reform legislation last week as the story dominated media coverage. More than half (53%) of the public says the debate was the story they followed most closely, while the story was the focus of 37% of news coverage. Half […]

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    Health Care Debate Back Atop Public’s News Agenda

    Summary of Findings As Americans continue to track the debate over health care reform closely, a growing minority – now 39% – says they think health care legislation will pass this year. Just before the Feb. 25 bipartisan summit at the White House to discuss the stymied legislation, 27% said they thought a bill would […]

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    Favorability Ratings of Labor Unions Fall Sharply

    Overview Favorable views of labor unions have plummeted since 2007, amid growing public skepticism about unions’ purpose and power. Currently, 41% say they have a favorable opinion of labor unions while about as many (42%) express an unfavorable opinion. In January 2007, a clear majority (58%) had a favorable view of unions while just 31% […]

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    Midterm Election Challenges for Both Parties

    Summary of Findings Nine months ahead of the midterm elections, voters have conflicted attitudes about both political parties. Opinions of the Republican Party have improved significantly, and for the first time in years the GOP’s favorable ratings nearly equal the Democratic Party’s. Voting intentions for the fall elections also remain closely divided. However, the Democratic […]

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    Public Focuses on Health Care and Olympics

    Summary of Findings Americans say the two news stories they followed most closely last week were the reinvigorated debate over health care reform in Washington and the second week of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In interviews shortly after the Feb. 25 bipartisan summit on health care legislation, a quarter of the public (25%) says […]

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    Black-White Conflict Isn’t Society’s Largest

    It may surprise anyone who has been following the charges of racism that have flared up during the debate over President Obama’s health care proposals, but the American public doesn’t see race as the source of the strongest social conflict in the country today.