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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.

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  • short reads

    Partisan polarization, in Congress and among public, is greater than ever

    While the Senate appears to have reached a deal on executive-branch appointments that heads off a showdown over filibuster rules, the fact that the confrontation went as far as it did points up the increasingly polarized state of Congress. From immigration reform to food stamps to student loans, it almost seems as if congressional Republicans and Democrats inhabit […]

  • short reads

    On Twitter: Anger greets the Zimmerman verdict

    The response on Twitter to George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin was almost equally divided between sharing news about the verdict and weighing in on it. And among those offering opinions about the outcome, their conclusion was very different from the jurors’. According to a new Pew Research Center analysis of nearly […]

  • short reads

    Mexican public favors military use, U.S. aid to fight drug cartels

    On Monday, the Mexican military captured Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, leader of the Zetas, one of the major Mexican drug cartels. Treviño Morales is wanted in Mexico and the United States for charges of drug trafficking, murder, torture, kidnapping and extortion, among other crimes. Mexican armed forces made the arrest early Monday morning after a […]

  • short reads

    Supreme Court same-sex marriage rulings spark state court challenges

    Just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decisions on same-sex marriage, LGBT advocates are ramping up legal efforts to expand marriage rights for gays and lesbians at the state level. In five states – Arkansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Texas – gay marriage supporters have filed new lawsuits seeking to legalize same-sex […]

  • short reads

    Filibusters: Hot topic in D.C., obscure or mysterious elsewhere

    From the fervid coverage in the national press, replete with terms like “nuclear option,” “meltdown” and “showdown,” you might think the country is riveted to the clash between Senate Democrats and Republicans over filibuster rules. But with the two sides set to gather tonight in the ceremonial Old Senate Chamber in a last-ditch effort at […]

  • short reads

    News magazines hit by big drop in ad pages

    In a difficult advertising environment for the magazine industry overall, newly-released numbers from the Association of Magazine Media (MPA) show the nation’s news magazines being hit particularly hard.