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reportJul 11, 2013

Public Esteem for Military Still High

More than three-quarters of U.S. adults (78%) say members of the military contribute “a lot” to society’s well-being, according to a new survey of Americans’ views on various professions. By contrast, just 37% of Americans think the clergy contribute a lot, putting religious leaders well behind teachers, medical doctors, scientists and engineers.
short readsJul 8, 2013

Global restrictions on religion increased following the Arab Spring

In 2011, a strong majority of the world’s population lived in countries with high religious restrictions.
short readsJul 2, 2013

For states, gambling on casinos may be a bad bet

When casinos come to town, an increase in public corruption is likely to follow. Or so claim two economists who studied federal corruption conviction rates in states before and after they legalized casino gambling. They focused on the years 1985 to 2000, a period of intense efforts by the casino industry to legalize casinos in […]
reportJul 1, 2013

Public Divided over Same-Sex Marriage Rulings

Overview The public is divided over last week’s Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage: 45% approve of the court’s decisions, while 40% disapprove. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center conducted June 27-30 among 1,003 adults, finds that most Americans are aware of the ruling and its implications. Two-thirds (66%) know that the […]
short readsJun 28, 2013

5 facts about the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012-2013

Note: For more recent facts on the high court, see this post from 2020. Phew, what a week for the U.S. Supreme Court. With major rulings on affirmative action, voting rights and same-sex marriage released this week, we rounded up five facts about the court and its year of contentious cases and historic votes: Favorable […]
short readsJun 28, 2013

Chart of the Week: Supreme Court justices — who agrees with whom?

It’s one thing to talk about voting blocs on the Supreme Court — four conservative justices, four moderate-to-liberal ones and Anthony Kennedy in between, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. It’s another to see the actual voting patterns at work.
short readsJun 26, 2013

Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage will likely impact immigration, too

There is an immigration angle to the Supreme Court ruling that struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act: Some gay and lesbian Americans will now be able to obtain visas for their foreign-born same-sex spouses. That is because the court’s ruling states that federal law cannot make a distinction between opposite-sex married couples and […]
short readsJun 26, 2013

How many same-sex marriages in the U.S.? At least 71,165, probably more

Today, the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act’s key section, which prohibited federal recognition of same-sex marriages and denied same-sex couples who were married under state law a panoply of federal benefits — from favorable tax treatment to the ability to be buried together in veterans’ cemeteries — that are available to […]
short readsJun 26, 2013

Supreme Court’s DOMA ruling comes as majority now supports same-sex marriage

Email Sign Up Receive our weekly newsletter featuring new analysis on politics, social trends, religion, the media and more. Sign Up Now The Supreme Court today struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), saying in a 5-4 ruling that the federal government can’t disparage marriages recognized by the states. The Court also declined […]
fact sheetJun 26, 2013

High Court Strikes Down DOMA but Leaves Fate of Proposition 8 Uncertain

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the federal Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional. The high court declined to rule on Proposition 8, leaving the legal status of same-sex marriage in California unclear. Read our legal analysis of the two major decisions.