Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
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; […]
No Partisan Advantage The two parties continue to run neck and neck in the generic congressional ballot. Overall, 46% of registered voters support or lean toward the Democratic candidate in their district, while 44% favor the Republican. This reflects virtually unanimous support from partisans (93% of Republicans plan to vote Republican, 91% of Democrats plan […]
Introduction and Summary The upcoming congressional election may be as much a referendum on domestic concerns as on the war on terrorism, as the public’s economic anxiety increases and its frustration with Washington mounts. Voters say that domestic matters such as health care, education and the economy come up in conversation as frequently as the […]
Business Views Change Little Interest in the Enron case has been steadily increasing over the past two months, outpacing other news stories such as the Winter Olympics and the congressional debate over the budget and taxes. Currently, 28% say they are following the investigation into the Enron bankruptcy very closely, up from 19% in mid-January, […]
War on Terrorism Widely Supported Not surprisingly, virtually all Americans (83%) approve of the U.S.-led military campaign against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Support is nearly as high in Great Britain, where 73% approve and 18% disapprove. Larger minorities in France, Germany and especially Italy dissent from this view, but majorities in all […]