Pew Research Center Staff

Just over half (52%) of women identify with the Democratic Party or lean Democratic, continuing a longstanding gender gap; in comparison, 43% of men identify with the Democrats.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) of Americans say the United States does not have a responsibility to do something about the conflict in Syria.

Among readers of both printed books and e-books, the top reason cited for choosing a digital book is the ability to get it quickly. More than eight-in-ten (83%) people expressed this view.

Nearly four-in-ten (38%) users of social networking sites discovered through a friend’s posts that his or her political beliefs were different than the user thought.

Nearly nine-in-ten (89%) Republicans favor allowing more oil and gas drilling in U.S. waters compared to about half of Democrats — a gap of 39 points.

Nearly six-in-ten (58%) Americans believe it is more important to have the freedom to pursue life’s goals without state interference than it is for the state to guarantee that no one is in need. Western European publics disagree.

By a 59% to 32% margin, most Americans think Barack Obama will win the 2012 presidential election if Mitt Romney is the Republican nominee. This margin expands significantly if Rick Santorum is the GOP nominee.

More than four-in-ten Americans (43%) view the increase in intermarriage as a societal change for the better, while about one-in-ten (11%) hold the opposite view. The rest of the public says it doesn’t make a difference.

About three-quarters of state prison chaplains (77%) say that a lot or some religious switching occurs among inmates in the prisons where they work.