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

    Youth Movement

    Two-thirds of young voters backed Obama.

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    A New Iron Curtain?

    Free markets still have tepid support in Eastern Europe.

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    Cool Air No Luxury

    Seven-in-ten Americans (70%) now consider home airconditioning a necessity, up from only half who said so in the mid-1990s.

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    Bailing Out Automakers

    Only 30% of the public supports extending government loans to GM and Chrysler.

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    Approval of Republican Leadership

    Just 28% of Americans say they approve of the job Republicans are doing in Congress, the lowest level in Pew Research surveys going back 15 years.

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    Unprepared for the Apocalypse

    Over 87% of Americans are unprepared to protect themselves from even the most basic world-ending scenarios reports The Onion.

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    Obama Not Overextended

    A majority of Americans (56%) reject the criticism that Obama is trying to tackle too many issues.

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    Bailing out Banks

    Just under half (48%) of the public says spending billions of dollars to help keep financial institutions secure is the right thing to do; 40% say it is wrong.

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    Tweeting

    About one-in-ten online adults have used Twitter or a similar service.

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    Bailing out Homeowners

    The public is evenly divided over spending billions to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure on mortgages they cannot afford but most supporters say they are bothered by it.