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Carroll Doherty

Former Director, Political Research

Expertise:U.S. Politics and Policy

Carroll Doherty is the former director of political research at Pew Research Center. He plays a leading role in developing the Center’s research agenda and overseeing editorial content about long-term trends in political values, U.S. views on policy issues and priorities, and political knowledge and news interest. Doherty regularly provides analysis of public opinion and politics for domestic and international news outlets, including NPR, CNBC and the BBC. He also speaks to government, academic and business groups on these topics. Before joining Pew Research Center in 2000, he was a journalist for many years, covering congressional leadership, politics and foreign affairs as a senior writer for Congressional Quarterly and serving as an off-air investigative reporter for CBS News on foreign affairs. Doherty holds a master’s degree from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola University Maryland.

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short readsNov 13, 2024

What Trump supporters believe and expect

The economy was the most important issue for Trump voters this year; 93% of his supporters said it was very important to their vote.
short readsAug 16, 2024

10 facts about Democrats in the U.S.

More than four-in-ten Democratic voters (44%) are Hispanic, Black, Asian, another race or multiracial, up from 23% in 1996.
data essayJul 23, 2024

Joe Biden, Public Opinion and His Withdrawal From the 2024 Race

Here are some of the key public opinion dynamics around Joe Biden’s choice to not pursue the Democratic nomination for the 2024 presidential race.
reportJun 28, 2023

Gun Violence Widely Viewed as a Major – and Growing – National Problem

Growing shares of Americans view both gun violence and violent crime as very big national problems. 49% of U.S. adults say gun ownership increases safety by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves; an identical share says it reduces safety by giving too many people access to firearms and increasing misuse.
reportJun 21, 2023

Inflation, Health Costs, Partisan Cooperation Among the Nation’s Top Problems

Democrats hold the edge on many issues, but more Americans agree with Republicans on the economy, crime and immigration. Inflation remains the top concern for Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with 77% saying it is a very big problem. For Democrats and Democratic leaners, gun violence is the top concern, with about 81% saying it is a very big problem.
short readsJun 14, 2023

Freedom of speech and LGBT rights: Americans’ views of issues in Supreme Court case

60% of Americans think business owners should not have to provide services if it might signal support for beliefs on LGBT issues that they oppose.
reportJun 8, 2023

More Americans Disapprove Than Approve of Colleges Considering Race, Ethnicity in Admissions Decisions

Half of U.S. adults say they disapprove of selective colleges and universities taking prospective students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds into account when making admissions decisions. 33% approve of colleges considering race and ethnicity to increase diversity at the schools, while 16% are not sure.
reportApr 26, 2023

Nearly a Year After Roe’s Demise, Americans’ Views of Abortion Access Increasingly Vary by Where They Live

In states where abortion is prohibited, the share of people who say access to abortion should be easier has increased since August 2019. A majority of residents in those states say it would be difficult to get an abortion in the area where they live today, up 21 points from four years ago.
reportApr 7, 2023

In Divided Washington, Americans Have Highly Negative Views of Both Parties’ Leaders

Americans express highly negative views of President Joe Biden, congressional leadership in both parties and Congress more broadly. Views of the economy remain overwhelmingly negative, and there has been a sharp rise in the share who say the country cannot solve many of its important problems.
data essayMar 14, 2023

A Look Back at How Fear and False Beliefs Bolstered U.S. Public Support for War in Iraq

Twenty years ago this month, the U.S. launched a major invasion of Iraq. President George W. Bush and his administration at first drew broad public support for the use of military force. Yet the campaign soon left Americans deeply divided, and by 2019, 62% said the Iraq War was not worth fighting.