Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Politics & Policy

Topic Spotlight

  • Trump’s Job Approval: 40% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling his job as president, according to a late September survey. Vice President Vance and congressional leaders in both parties are also viewed more negatively than positively. (Read the short read)
  • Immigration: 47% of Americans disapprove of the Trump administration’s overall approach to immigration, while 42% approve, according to a June survey. But evaluations are largely split along partisan lines. (Read the report)
  • Voters in 2024: Trump won the 2024 presidential election with a voter coalition that was more racially and ethnically diverse than in 2020 or 2016. (Read the report)

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  • report

    Opinion of Oprah More Politicized, Gore’s Ratings Improve

    Summary of Findings Long one of America’s best-known and best-liked media figures, Oprah Winfrey saw her popularity slip after her endorsement of Barack Obama last year. A new survey shows that her image has not recovered, and opinions about the talk show host have become increasingly divided along partisan political lines. Currently, 68% of Americans […]

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    Public Says Press Should Not Declare Obama the Winner

    Summary of Findings Barack Obama may be building an insurmountable lead in the Democratic primary race, but the public is sending a strong message to journalists and pundits: It is too early to declare, as some already have, that the race is over. Fully 72% of the public – including comparable percentages of Democrats, Republicans […]

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    A Deeper Partisan Divide Over Global Warming

    Summary of Findings The proportion of Americans who say that the earth is getting warmer has decreased modestly since January 2007, mostly because of a decline among Republicans. Republicans are increasingly skeptical that there is solid evidence that the earth has been warming over the past few decades: just 49% of Republicans say there is […]

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    The Widening Gap

    The phrase “generation gap” came into vogue in the 1960s as a way of describing the wide gulf in values, beliefs and lifestyles that emerged between baby boomers and their parents and grandparents. Indeed, this difference between younger and older people played out sometimes turbulently in the ’60s in virtually all aspects of life, including […]

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    Obama’s Image Slips, His Lead Over Clinton Disappears

    Summary of Findings Democratic voters are not as positive about Barack Obama as they were a month ago. Somewhat smaller percentages of Democrats describe Obama in favorable terms, and he has lost his lead over Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic nomination. Nationally, Democratic voters are about evenly divided between Obama and Clinton; […]

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    Democratic Campaign Taking a Toll on Both Obama and Clinton

    Summary of Findings Over the past six weeks the intense, and often negative, contest between Obama and Clinton has dominated media coverage of the campaign as well as public attention. And over this period, more Americans have consistently said their views of Obama and Clinton have become less favorable, rather than more favorable, in recent […]

Signature Reports

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Americans’ Dismal Views of the Nation’s Politics

Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics.

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Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology

Pew Research Center’s political typology provides a roadmap to today’s fractured political landscape. It organizes the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values. Even in a polarized era, the 2021 survey reveals deep divisions in both partisan coalitions.