Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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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

    Twitter and the Campaign: Its Coverage of Ron Paul

    Between May 2 and Nov. 27 of this year, there were more than 1.1 million postings on Twitter about Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul. He received far more discussion on social media than in the traditional news outlets.

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    The Difficult Transition from Military to Civilian Life

    As the last U.S. combat troops head home from Iraq this month, some will face a difficult re-entry to civilian life. A Pew Research Center survey of 1,853 veterans found that 27% said readjusting to civilian life was “very” or “somewhat difficult.”

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    Texting, Talking on the Phone and Driving

    The federal government has proposed banning the use of personal electronic devices while driving. How widespread is that use? A Pew Research Center study found that 27% of American adults say they have texted while driving, and 61% say they have talked on their cell phones while behind the wheel.

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    GOP Nomination Race Hurting the Party

    About three-in-ten (31%) Americans say that their impression of the Republican presidential field is getting worse as they learn more about the candidates.

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    Confidence in Democracy and Capitalism Wanes in Former Soviet Union

    Large majorities of people in three former Soviet republics — Russia (82%), Lithuania (91%) and Ukraine (95%) — believe that politicians far more than ordinary people have benefited from the changes that have taken place in their countries since the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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    The Poverty Threshold: An Alternative Measure

    The Census Bureau has developed an alternative measure of poverty that takes into account a wider range of factors than the official poverty measure. The alternative measure sets the poverty threshold for 2010 at $24,343, which is $2,230 higher than the official measure for a two-adult two-child family.