Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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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.

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  • short reads

    Birth Rates Falls with Economy

    After rising to their highest levels in two decades, birth rates in the U.S. declined a bit in 2008, a result that appears to be linked to the recession.

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    Papal Problem

    Seven-in-ten Americans say Pope Benedict has done a poor (44%) or only fair (24%) job in addressing the child sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.

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    Tea Party Lemons?

    When asked to give a one-word impression of the Tea Party movement, a plurality of respondents offered a negative word.

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    Teen Girls Text More than Boys

    Teenage girls typically send and receive more than twice the texts (80 a day) as do boys (30 a day).

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    Text Message Received

    Over half of all teens send text messages to their friends daily.

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    Text Me

    One in three teens sends more than 100 text messages a day, or 3,000 texts a month.

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    Making Pot Legal

    Four-in-ten Americans support the full legalization of marijuana.