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Short Reads

Short-form data and analysis from Pew Research Center writers and social scientists. To view all our reports and publications, visit our main Publications page.

short readFeb 12, 2026

Students celebrate Cambodian Independence Day in Phnom Penh on Nov. 9, 2025. (Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images)

Across 190 members of the United Nations we analyzed, the typical country will observe 13 public holidays in 2026.

short readFeb 12, 2026

Clockwise, from center: President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Vice President JD Vance. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP, Mandel Ngan/AFP, Heather Diehl, Andrew Harnik, Jim Watson-Pool, all via Getty Images)

short readFeb 11, 2026

short readFeb 5, 2026

Lincoln University, a historically Black university in Pennsylvania, held its 164th commencement ceremony on May 7, 2023. (Lincoln University via Getty Images)

short readsMay 2, 2014

Chart of the Week: How America’s poor can still be rich in stuff

While most manufactured goods are considerably cheaper than they were three decades ago, many key services are much more expensive — contributing to the paradox of greater material abundance among even poor Americans.
short readsMay 2, 2014

How religious harassment varies by region across the globe

Here’s a region-by-region look at where religious harassment takes place, and to which groups.
short readsMay 2, 2014

Support for al Qaeda was low before (and after) Osama bin Laden’s death

Support for al Qaeda, the terrorist organization that Osama bin Laden founded, was low among the Muslim publics surveyed in 2010, and remained low in 2013, two years after bin Laden’s ignominious end.
short readsMay 1, 2014

In Germany, U.S., polls find little support for military aid to Ukraine

The action most favored by Germans (69%) in response to Russia’s incursion into Ukraine is economic and financial support for Ukraine, a measure that both the U.S. and Ukraine governments have backed.
short readsApr 30, 2014

Botched execution in Oklahoma renews death-penalty debate

Oklahoma’s botched execution of Clayton Lockett has renewed debate about how, and whether, the U.S. should impose the death penalty.
short readsApr 30, 2014

5 facts about the modern American family

In 1960, 37% of households included a married couple raising their own children. More than a half-century later, just 16% of households look like that.
short readsApr 30, 2014

Long-term unemployment is still high; new research suggests geography could be one reason

New research finds that living near where there are jobs significantly reduces the amount of time it takes unemployed jobseekers to find work, and that the effect is especially significant for blacks, women and older workers.
short readsApr 30, 2014

Data Feed: Millennials and midterms, America’s global role, Homeownership rate hits low

A daily roundup of fresh data from scholars, governments, think tanks, pollsters and other social science researchers.
short readsApr 30, 2014

Illegal immigration by boat: A dangerous, but common way of entering Europe

Boat migrants comprise less than 10% of the more than 1 million new immigrants entering the EU from non-EU countries by air, land or sea each year. But among those known to have arrived illegally in 2013, over half came by sea – the highest percentage in recent years.
short readsApr 29, 2014

Mobile apps collect information about users, with wide range of permissions

The Supreme Court will hear two cases this term about whether police can search the contents of a mobile device without a warrant.