Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Parity in partisan affiliation is a relatively new phenomenon in American politics. For most of the period between the late 1930s through the beginning of the 21st century, the Democratic party held an advantage often sizable over the Republicans in party identification. The Democratic lead in party identification was modest through the 1940s […]
Civil Liberties and Terrorism For the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, half of Americans say it will not be necessary for the average person to sacrifice civil liberties in the struggle against terrorism, while 44% believe such steps will be necessary. In three previous surveys since Sept. 11, 2001, majorities or pluralities […]
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks profoundly affected the way Americans view national security threats and their own sense of personal safety. But for the most part, the public’s views about global engagement and the role of military power have stayed fairly stable since the Center began its values surveys 16 years ago. The public is […]
Gay Marriage Opposed By nearly two-to-one, more Americans oppose (59%) than favor (32%) legalizing gay marriage. This reflects something of a backlash from polls conducted earlier in the year, before the Supreme Court’s ruling in June that struck down state laws against sodomy. In a July survey shortly after that decision, the public opposed gay […]
In this section Gay Marriage Opposed Young People More Supportive of Gay Marriage Education a Key Among Older Americans Moral Objections Cited Most Impact on Families a Concern Seniors’ Objections to Gay Marriage: A Closer Look Civil Unions Also Opposed Long-Term Trend: Growing Tolerance Global Views on Homosexuality Back to report home Gay Marriage Opposed […]
Overview Over the past four years, the American electorate has been dealt a series of body blows, each capable of altering the political landscape. The voting system broke down in a presidential election. A booming economy faltered, punctuated by revelations of one of the worst business scandals in U.S. history. And the country endured a […]
Most email users find spam annoying, but do not consider it a big problem. When asked how spam affects life on the Internet, the majority of emailers (59%) describe spam as “annoying, but not a big problem.” On one extreme, 27% of email users say spam is a “big problem” for them, and on the […]
Summary of Findings Voter opinion is still fluid in the early Democratic primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and especially South Carolina. As with the candidates themselves, there are significant disagreements among likely primary voters in these pivotal states on such key issues as how to deal with the postwar situation in Iraq, gay marriage […]
Americans are reluctant to part with some old media and some new, but traditional print media don’t fare well. With the proliferation of communications devices and services, it is worth examining the relative strength of preferences among Americans for their gadgets and services. Although the technologies by which people receive and process information may be […]