Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Political Issues

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    Partisan Interest, Reactions to IRS and AP Controversies

    Overview So far, public interest in a trio of controversies connected to the Obama administration has been limited. Roughly a quarter (26%) of Americans say they are very closely following reports that the IRS targeted conservative groups. About the same number (25%) are tracking the Benghazi investigation very closely, and even fewer (16%) are very […]

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    Egyptians Increasingly Glum

    Overview Two years after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian public mood is increasingly negative. Month after month of political uncertainty, a weak economy and often violent street protests have taken their toll, and today a majority of Egyptians are dissatisfied with the way their new democracy is working. Only 30% of Egyptians think […]

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    The New Sick Man of Europe: the European Union

    Overview The European Union is the new sick man of Europe. The effort over the past half century to create a more united Europe is now the principal casualty of the euro crisis. The European project now stands in disrepute across much of Europe. Support for European economic integration – the 1957 raison d’etre for […]

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    Benghazi Investigation Does Not Reignite Broad Public Interest

    Overview The public paid limited attention to last week’s congressional hearings on Benghazi. Fewer than half (44%) of Americans say they are following the hearings very or fairly closely, virtually unchanged from late January when Hillary Clinton testified. Last October, 61% said they were following the early stages of the investigation at least fairly closely. […]

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    France and Germany: A Tale of Two Countries Drifting Apart

    A political, economic and demographic divide has opened up between France and Germany. The two countries, which have for decades been the driving force behind European integration, increasingly see the world through different lenses. This new evidence of a dramatic divergence of public opinion raises new questions about prospects for the European Project.

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    What Pakistan Thinks

    As the country prepares for this weekend’s elections, the Taliban has significantly stepped up its attacks. And no matter which party emerges victorious from the May 11 poll, it will have to answer to a public that is increasingly worried about the threat extremism poses to the Pakistani state.

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    Pakistani Views on Religion, Politics and Democracy

    Pakistanis are scheduled to go to the polls to elect a new parliament and governing party or coalition on May 11. But a Pew Research Center survey of Muslims around the world finds that Pakistani Muslims are among the least likely to express support for democracy.