Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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3:00 – 5:00 p.m. (reception to follow) Washington, D.C. Speakers Wilfred McClay, SunTrust Chair of Humanities and Professor of History, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Hugh Heclo, Robinson Professor of Public Affairs, George Mason University E.J. Dionne Jr., Co-Chair, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life; Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution; and columnist, the […]
Summary of Findings As has been the case in recent elections, the popular vote for the House of Representatives is likely to be divided about equally between Republican and Democratic candidates, almost ensuring a narrow advantage for the party that controls the next Congress. The Pew Research Center’s final nationwide survey of 1,035 likely voters […]
9:00 am-5:00 pm Chapel Hill, NC Due to technical difficulties, we are unable to provide the transcript from the Q&A of these panels. Session 1: History of the Blaine Amendments Session 2: Blaine Amendments and the First Amendment Session 3: Blaine Amendments: Current Litigation and Legislation Session One JASON KAY: My name is Jason […]
The Hispanic electorate is emerging as a distinct presence on the political landscape, demonstrating broad but shallow party loyalty and a mixture of ideological beliefs and policy positions that defies easy categorization. At a time when the rest of the nation is almost evenly split along partisan lines, Latino voters appear to straddle some of the sharpest divides in American politics today. Though most Latinos identify with the Democratic Party, this party affiliation comes with a notable ambivalence, and on some social issues they express a conservatism that sets them apart from their white counterparts. Similarly, most Latino Republicans voice a preference for a bigger government and higher taxes, which is contrary to the stand taken by an overwhelming majority of white Republicans.
Congressional Race Remains Tight As has been the case for the past year, neither political party has a clear advantage in the upcoming battle for control of the House. Voters are evenly divided, with 44% favoring the Republican candidate in their district, and 46% favoring the Democrat. And when the population is limited to likely […]
Throughout the election season, the Pew Research Center and other major polling organizations report a measure that political insiders sometimes call “the generic ballot.” This measure is the percentage of voters in national surveys who say they intend to vote for either the Republican or the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in […]
Public interest in campaign news is at the same level as it was at this stage in the 1998 election, and only somewhat lower than in 1994 and 1990. These early September surveys coincide with the conclusion of many local primary races. In addition to comparable public interest in the campaign, other indicators of voter […]
A Boost for the Watchdog Role Though the public has much lower regard for the media’s values, most Americans continue to favor the watchdog role performed by news organizations. If anything, there is greater support now than in November, when the media’s overall image was much more favorable. Six-in-ten Americans (59%) say press criticism keeps […]
As the congressional midterm elections approach, President Bush’s approval rating continues to edge downward. Six-in-ten now approve of Bush’s job performance, down from 65% last month and 80% at the start of the year. Bush now has virtually the same rating as former President Clinton in September 1998, two months before that year’s congressional elections. […]
A year after the attacks, the public still believes that the best way to avoid problems like terrorism is to stay engaged internationally. A 53% majority currently holds that view, down from 61% last October. The number who say it is better not to get too involved in overseas problems has shown no significant increase; […]