Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

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.

Icon for promotion number 1

Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Fresh data delivered Saturday mornings

  • short reads

    Love That Dog!

    That’s the percentage of of dog owners who say they consider their pet to be a member of their family, according to a Pew Research Center survey. And most cat owners (78%) feel the same way.

  • short reads

    Hold Favorable View of Republican Party

    That’s the percentage of US adults who now say they hold a favorable view of the Republican Party, down 15 points since January 2001.

  • short reads

    Black College Grads Online

    That’s the percentage of black college graduates who access the internet — the highest proportion of any demographic group recorded in a recent Pew survey.

  • short reads

    The Importance of Being Christian

    Nearly four-in-ten Americans (39%) say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who is “Christian,” the second most positive trait tested, behind only “military service” (48%).

  • short reads

    States Suspending Executions

    That’s the number of states that have suspended executions because of questions over lethal injection, the primary method of execution in 37 of the 38 states that have retained the death penalty — only Nebraska still uses the electric chair.

  • short reads

    Improved Family Finances in 2007

    That’s the number of Americans who think their family finances will improve at least some (57%) or a lot (10%) over the coming year.

  • short reads

    Hispanic Employment

    That’s the number of Hispanic workers employed in the US labor market in 2006, a year where there was strong growth in Hispanic employment.

  • short reads

    Most Optimistic Homeowners

    That’s the portion of U.S. homeowners who expect the value of their home to go up “a lot” in the future. But another 55% still expect their home values to rise at least “a little.”

  • short reads

    Global Warming and Religious Belief

    That’s the percentage of Americans who believe there is solid evidence that the average temperature of the earth has been increasing over the past few decades. That number includes large majorities of every religious group: 77% of Catholics, 79% of white mainline Protestants and 70% of white evangelicals.