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 readMar 6, 2026

A man walks past several movie posters at an AMC Theatre in Montebello, California, on May 5, 2025. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

About half of Americans (53%) said in a summer 2025 survey that they had seen a movie in theaters in the past year.

short readMar 2, 2026

short readFeb 27, 2026

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, speaks outside a federal courthouse in Norfolk, Virginia, on Oct. 24, 2025. Two federal grand juries in the state recently declined to indict James on charges related to mortgage fraud. (Win McNamee via Getty Images)

short readFeb 17, 2026

People wave U.S. flags from a bridge in in Forest Glen, Maryland, on March 7, 2022, and demonstrators protest the Trump administration in Montpelier, Vermont, on March 8, 2025. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post, John Lazenby/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

short readsNov 10, 2009

The Age of Tweets

The median age of a Twitter user is 31.
short readsNov 10, 2009

College Enrollment at All-Time High

Roughly four-in-ten young adults are enrolled in either a two- or four-year college, the highest level of enrollment ever.
short readsNov 10, 2009

Knowledge of Troop Deaths in Afghanistan

Only a quarter of the public can correctly estimate the number of U.S. military fatalities in Afghanistan.
short readsNov 10, 2009

Global Warming: A Hoax … with Serious Ramifications

A third of those who say there is no solid evidence of global warming still consider it a serious problem.
short readsNov 10, 2009

Cap & Trade: Few Know What it is but Half Support the Idea

Though few know what “cap and trade” is, half the public supports limits on carbon dioxide emissions even if it means higher energy prices.
short readsNov 10, 2009

Chilling Numbers

The percentage of Americans who believe there is solid evidence supporting global warming has fallen from 71% in April 2008 to 57% today.
short readsNov 10, 2009

Twitter Update

About one-in-five internet users now say they use Twitter or another similar service, up from 11% in April.
short readsOct 27, 2009

Goblins and Ghosts and Things That Go Bump in the Night

Not counting the trick-or-treaters scaring up fun this weekend, more than two-thirds of Americans agree that angels and demons are active in the world.
short readsOct 26, 2009

Karzai’s Rank as a Foreign Newsmaker

Afghanistan President Harmid Karzai has been much in the news lately, but he still trails far behind the top newsmaker among overseas leaders this year, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
short readsOct 20, 2009

Swine Flu: Worth a Shot?

Fewer than half of the public would get a swine flu vaccine if it were available to them.

Topics

Regions & Countries

Formats

Short Reads

As the Academy Awards approach, a look at moviegoing habits in the United States

8 facts about Americans and TikTok

What to know about federal grand juries

6 facts about national pride in the U.S.

The Age of Tweets

College Enrollment at All-Time High

Knowledge of Troop Deaths in Afghanistan

Global Warming: A Hoax … with Serious Ramifications

Cap & Trade: Few Know What it is but Half Support the Idea

Chilling Numbers

Twitter Update

Goblins and Ghosts and Things That Go Bump in the Night

Karzai’s Rank as a Foreign Newsmaker

Swine Flu: Worth a Shot?

Short Reads

Sign up for our weekly newsletter