Political Issues

short readsMay 14, 2014

More than a decade later, 9/11 attacks continue to resonate with Americans

As the National September 11 Memorial Museum prepares to open, a look at how Americans view the 2001 attacks and their legacy for the country.
short readsMay 8, 2014

Q/A: How Pew Research tracks public opinion in countries stricken by violence and unrest

Fact Tank sat down with James Bell, Pew Research’s director of international survey research, to discuss how the center designs and implements its surveys in places of conflict like Ukraine.
short readsMay 6, 2014

Democrats find themselves divided on Keystone pipeline

Some Democratic senators may join with Republicans to vote for building the Keystone XL pipeline. It’s an issue that divides Democrats, a Pew Research survey found in March.
short readsMay 5, 2014

Supreme Court affirms town council’s right to prayer

The Supreme Court brought some clarity to the role of prayer in civic life today by reaffirming that prayer before legislative bodies is not only constitutional, but that it can contain Christian and other faith-specific language. At the same time, today’s 5-4 ruling in Town of Greece v. Galloway largely upheld existing case law rather than significantly breaking new ground.
reportMay 5, 2014

Midterm Election Indicators Daunting for Democrats

With the midterm elections six months away, Democrats are burdened by an uneven economic recovery and a stubbornly unpopular health care law. Perhaps equally important, Barack Obama’s political standing is in some respects weaker than it was at a comparable point in the 2010 campaign, which ended with the Republicans gaining a majority in the […]
short readsMay 2, 2014

Support for al Qaeda was low before (and after) Osama bin Laden’s death

Support for al Qaeda, the terrorist organization that Osama bin Laden founded, was low among the Muslim publics surveyed in 2010, and remained low in 2013, two years after bin Laden’s ignominious end.
short readsMay 1, 2014

In Germany, U.S., polls find little support for military aid to Ukraine

The action most favored by Germans (69%) in response to Russia’s incursion into Ukraine is economic and financial support for Ukraine, a measure that both the U.S. and Ukraine governments have backed.
reportMay 1, 2014

Public Health a Major Priority in African Nations

Survey Report Concerns about public health are widespread in sub-Saharan Africa, and there is considerable support in the region for making public health challenges a top national priority. In particular, people want their governments to improve the quality of hospitals and other health care facilities and deal with the problem of HIV/AIDS. A Pew Research […]
short readsApr 30, 2014

Botched execution in Oklahoma renews death-penalty debate

Oklahoma’s botched execution of Clayton Lockett has renewed debate about how, and whether, the U.S. should impose the death penalty.
reportApr 30, 2014

Heartbleed’s Impact

39% of internet users have changed passwords or canceled accounts; 6% think their personal information was swiped.