Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

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

Thank you for subscribing!

  • short reads

    Women Who Say Single Women Can Be Happy

    More than eight-in-ten American women (83%) say that it is possible for a woman to lead a complete and happy life if she remains single; a lesser percentage of men (70%) say the same thing about a man.

  • short reads

    Hispanic Catholics Who are Pentecostals or Charismatics

    A majority (54%) of Latino Catholics in the United States identify with renewalist Christianity, meaning they describe themselves as charismatic or pentecostal; the proportion is still higher among Hispanic Protestants (57%).

  • short reads

    Say People Determine Own Success

    That’s the percentage of Americans who disagree with the idea that success in life is mostly determined by forces outside a person’s control.

  • short reads

    American Sunni Muslims

    That’s the percentage of American Muslims who identify with Sunni Islam, 22% say they are just Muslim without any particular affiliation, and 16% identify with Shia Islam.

  • short reads

    States Now Limiting Teens’ Access to Tanning Salons

    That’s the number of states that now place limits on minors seeking a bronze glow from the ultraviolet lights of a tanning bed. Utah, Virginia and North Dakota are the most recent states to join the list.

  • short reads

    Prefer Smaller Government

    That’s the percentage of Americans who would rather have a smaller government providing fewer services; a statistically equal 43% would prefer a bigger government providing more services.

  • short reads

    Expect Home Prices to Keep Rising

    More than six-in-ten Americans say they expect no interruption in the upward climb of U.S. home prices — a view not currently shared by many housing market experts.

  • short reads

    Northeastern Flag Flyers

    That’s the portion of residents of the Northeastern United States who say they display the American flag at their home, office or on their car — significantly more than say so among residents in the South or West.

  • short reads

    Nations Call US Biggest Threat to Environment

    That’s the number of countries, among the 37 nations where data are available from the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes survey, in which a majority or clear plurality name the U.S. as the country that is “hurting the world’s environment the most.”