Commercial Voter Files and the Study of U.S. Politics
A new analysis demystifies voter files, the widely-used and comprehensive digital databases used to better understand the U.S. electorate.
Political & Civic Engagement
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Political & Civic Engagement
Publications
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Q&A: The growing use of ‘voter files’ in studying the U.S. electorate
Read a Q&A with Pew Research Center’s Ruth Igielnik and Scott Keeter about a recent study about voter files.
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Use of election forecasts in campaign coverage can confuse voters and may lower turnout
Probability forecasts have gained prominence in recent years. But these forecasts may confuse potential voters and may even lower the likelihood that they vote.
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Americans interested in the environment are the most likely to feel civic obligation to follow science news
While there are many reasons that Americans get science news, the most common driver of attention to science news is curiosity, according to a 2017 Pew Research Center study. But people are also motivated to seek out science news for different reasons depending on the issues they care about most, with the environment being a prime example.
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Supporters of stricter gun laws are less likely to contact elected officials
About one-in-five U.S. gun owners say they have ever contacted a public official to express their opinion on gun policy, compared with 12% of non-gun owners.
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How ‘Drop-Off’ Voters Differ From Consistent Voters and Nonvoters
The 2018 midterm elections will be determined in large part by who goes to the polls and who stays home.
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Jury duty is rare, but most Americans see it as part of good citizenship
The chances of serving on a jury in any given year are small, but most Americans still see it as part of being a good citizen.
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Gen Zers, Millennials and Gen Xers outvoted Boomers and older generations in 2016 election
Generation Zers, Millennials and Generation Xers cast 69.6 million votes in 2016, a slight majority of the 137.5 million total votes cast.
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Q&A: Pew Research Center’s president on key issues in U.S. polling
Read a Q&A with Michael Dimock, president of Pew Research Center, on recent developments in public opinion polling and what lies ahead.
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Dislike of candidates or campaign issues was most common reason for not voting in 2016
The share of registered voters who cited a “dislike of the candidates or campaign issues” as their main reason for not voting reached a new high of 25%.
