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    Public Backs Clinton on Gun Control

    Report Summary As concern about crime has supplanted the recession as the public’s single greatest worry, Americans express strong support for Bill Clinton’s efforts to control the use of handguns. Most also say they would like to see the President challenge the National Rifle Association, which a growing number of Americans feel has too much […]

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    Clinton Successes Repair Image

    Report Summary As his first year in office comes to a close, Bill Clinton has significantly repaired his personal image. Although his approval ratings have yet to reach the 50% mark, Americans have a vastly improved impression of the President’s ability to accomplish his goals than they had earlier in the year.

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    America Divides Over Asia

    Report Summary As with NAFTA, American opinion leaders and the American public have conflicting views about Asia. A plurality of opinion leaders believe Asia is now more important to the United States than Europe, a recent survey found, while the public (by a 50% to 31% margin) continues to see Europe as most important. The […]

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    America’s Place in the World

    Report Summary We undertook this latest survey of the Times Mirror Center for The People & The Press, America’s Place in the New World, in an effort to discover where the nation’s top non-governmental leaders believe America is today, domestically and in foreign affairs, and where it should go in the post Cold War world. […]

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    Cautious Support For Clinton Plan

    REPORT SUMMARY The American public is expressing wary support for the Clinton health care reform plan, as many Americans attempt to balance the strong appeal of guaranteeing universal access with questions, if not doubts about, how much protection the Clinton approach will actually provide, what it will cost and to what extent it will restrict […]

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    Jury Still Out on Clinton’s Success

    Report Summary Most Americans say they still haven’t made up their minds about Bill Clinton. But the President’s personal image has been weakened by a belief that he can’t get things done and a feeling that he breaks his promises. Six months into office few Americans can cite a Clinton achievement without prompting, and the […]

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    The Vocal Minority In American Politics

    Report Summary American public opinion is being distorted and exaggerated by the voices that dominate the airwaves of talk radio, clog the White House switchboard when a Zoe Baird stumbles, and respond to call-in polls. In the current environment, these new voices of public opinion can caricature discontent with American political institutions, rather than genuinely […]

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    Clinton’s Press Judged as Less Fair than Bush’s and Reagan’s

    REPORT SUMMARY Many Americans think the press is being unfair to Bill Clinton, and the public most often complains that the media has come to an earlier judgment about this President’s performance than it did about his predecessors. But the public does not blame the press for being too critical of Bill Clinton, nor for causing […]

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    Public Opinion In Gridlock Over Clinton Economic Package

    REPORT SUMMARY In just two months, the wide margin of public support for the Clinton economic package has narrowed dramatically, and Americans are now closely divided over whether Clintonomics will pay dividends in the long run. The public is further split on whether President Clinton can get his package passed in Congress, and most Americans […]

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    The Public, Their Doctors, and Health Care Reform

    REPORT SUMMARY Two-thirds of America’s doctors prescribe fundamental reform for the health care system of this country, and they seem ready to swallow a pill they have rejected for generations — significant outside control of medicine. A nationwide survey of medical doctors by the Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press found 58% responding […]

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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.