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Congress

short readMar 3, 2025

The 119th Congress is the most racially and ethnically diverse in history, and it includes the nation’s first openly transgender legislator at the federal level.

short readMar 10, 2025

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks is sworn in at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2025, the first day of the 119th Congress. Alsobrooks is one of two Black women currently serving in the Senate. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

In the Senate, two Black women are serving concurrently for the first time. And in the House, two states and one U.S. territory elected their first Black, Hispanic or Pacific Islander woman lawmaker.

reportJan 2, 2025

Members of the incoming 119th Congress will be sworn in at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2025. (Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images)

Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session.

All

Congress

Publications

short readsJul 24, 2014

Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?

Voter turnout, no matter how measured, is consistently lower in midterm elections compared to presidential election years. Political scientists aren’t sure why, but have some ideas.
reportJul 24, 2014

GOP Has Midterm Engagement Advantage

The Republican Party holds a clear advantage in voter engagement in this fall’s midterm elections, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center. Yet GOP voters are not as enthused and engaged as they were at this point in the midterm campaign four years ago, prior to the Republican Party winning control […]
short readsMar 5, 2014

Public’s anti-incumbent mood hasn’t always predicted big electoral swings

Despite surveys showing anti-incumbent sentiments at or near all-time highs, most members of Congress appear to have little to worry about.
short readsFeb 25, 2014

House set to lose six centuries of experience as Dingell, other long-serving members retire

The spate of congressional retirement announcements may seem like a lot but is within historical norms. But the retirement of several long-serving members likely will further reduce overall experience levels in both the House and Senate,
short readsDec 23, 2013

Congress ends least-productive year in recent history

Congress enacted 57 laws — just 49 of them substantive — in the first session of its two-year term, the smallest first-year legislative output in nearly two decades.
short readsNov 5, 2013

Only 1 in 7 House districts were competitive in 2012

In last year’s elections, winners won by at least 10 points in all but 62 of the 435 House districts.
reportOct 18, 2013

Trust in Government Nears Record Low, But Most Federal Agencies Are Viewed Favorably

Survey Report Public trust in the government, already quite low, has edged even lower in a survey conducted just before the Oct. 16 agreement to end the government shutdown and raise the debt ceiling. Just 19% say that they trust the government in Washington to do what is right just about always or most of […]
short readsOct 17, 2013

A majority of Americans want their lawmakers to put district wishes over national interests

A majority of the public says members of Congress should base their vote on the wishes of their district over the interest of the country.
reportSep 30, 2013

Anger at Government Most Pronounced among Conservative Republicans

Survey Report With a possible government shutdown just hours away, public anger at the federal government is as high as at any point since the Pew Research Center began asking the question in 1997. Anger is most palpable among conservative Republicans – 41% say they are angry at the federal government, the highest among any […]
reportSep 30, 2013

About the Survey

The analysis in this report is based on telephone interviews conducted September 25-29, 2013, among a national sample of 1,005 adults 18 years of age or older living in the continental United States (502 respondents were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 503 were interviewed on a cell phone, including 240 who had no landline […]