Voters have a dim view of primaries as a good way to pick the best candidate
Just 35% of voters say that the primaries have been a good way of determining the best- qualified nominees.
Republican and Democratic registered voters remain far apart on key questions regarding perceptions of immigrants and immigration policy, views on the security treatment of U.S. Muslims and views on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. These gaps across parties are familiar. The gaps within parties by primary candidate support vary by issue. In general, […]
The 2016 presidential campaign continues to attract strong interest, even as the primary process draws widespread criticism. Most registered voters do not think the presidential primaries have been a good way of determining the best-qualified nominees. This is in line with opinions in recent campaigns, but two decades ago voters had a more positive view […]
Questions on the state of the U.S. economic system, free trade and the role of government – both generally and in specific areas such as health care – surface differences within both political parties. On the Republican side, supporters of Donald Trump stand out for their unfavorable views of free trade, negative assessments of national […]
The Islamic militant group known as ISIS remains the American public’s top international concern. Overall, 80% say ISIS is a major threat to the well-being of the United States, while 16% say it is a minor threat and 3% say it is not a threat; views are little changed from December. Cyberattacks from other countries […]
Declining share says it is important for president to have strong religious beliefs The share of Americans who think it is important that a president have strong religious beliefs has been steadily declining over the past two election cycles and has reached a new low in Pew Research Center polling. In 2008, 72% said this […]
A majority of the public (62%) continues to approve of the U.S. military campaign against Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria; fewer (33%) say they disapprove. Support for U.S. military action in Iraq and Syria has held steady over the course of the past year. Comparable majorities of Republicans (66%) and Democrats (65%) support the […]