Do Americans Think the Country Is Losing or Gaining Ground in Science?
Republicans and Democrats agree that it’s important the U.S. is a world leader in science, but sharply diverge on how the U.S. is faring.
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Science Issues
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Striking findings from 2025
Here’s a look back at 2025 through 12 of our most striking research findings.
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How Do Americans View Childhood Vaccines, Vaccine Research and Policy?
A majority of Americans say childhood vaccines are effective at preventing illness, but slightly fewer are confident that the vaccine schedule is safe.
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Have changes to CDC guidelines influenced Americans’ COVID-19 vaccine decisions?
A majority of U.S. adults (59%) say they don’t want to get an updated COVID-19 vaccine.
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What we know about energy use at U.S. data centers amid the AI boom
Data centers accounted for 4% of total U.S. electricity use in 2024. Their energy demand is expected to more than double by 2030.
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Support for expanding nuclear power is up in both parties since 2020
About six-in-ten U.S. adults now say they favor more nuclear power plants to generate electricity, up from 43% in 2020.
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Americans’ Views on Who Influences Health Policy and Which Health Issues To Prioritize
About seven-in-ten Americans say insurance companies have too much health policy influence, but partisans disagree on the CDC’s role.
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9 facts about Americans and marijuana
Around nine-in-ten U.S. adults say marijuana should be legal either for medical or recreational use. Just 12% say the drug should not be legal at all.
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What the data says about Medicaid
The joint federal-state health insurance program covered 71.4 million Americans as of January 2025.
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From weight-loss drugs to raw milk, Americans hear more often about some health topics than others
About half of U.S. adults (53%) say they hear or read about Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs being used for weight loss extremely or very often.
