Around six-in-ten Democrats support increased spending for scientific research, compared with 40% of Republicans, a gap that has grown over time.
Democrats are largely united in backing a $15 an hour federal minimum wage. Republican opinion on this issue is more divided.
Americans continue to have positive views of the nation’s economy, though views are split by party. Most Republicans and half of Democrats rate their personal finances positively.
As of the end of June, the federal government's total debt stands at $22.023 trillion. The nation's debt is now bigger than its GDP.
Majorities of Americans say voting in elections, paying taxes and following the law are very important to good citizenship, according to a 2018 survey.
The most export-dependent places in America often are far from big cities and are more likely to be in the South or Midwest than the coasts.
In Western Europe, most people back church-state separation even while many willingly pay church tax
Public support for the separation of church and state is widespread in Western Europe, even in countries that have a government-mandated church tax to fund religious institutions, according to a new analysis of a recent Pew Research Center study.
In general, Western European countries that have a mandatory church tax aren’t any less religious than those that don’t have such a tax.
Giving a share of one’s income to the church has been a part of European tradition for centuries. Today, several countries continue to collect a “church tax” on behalf of officially recognized religious organizations, in some cases levying the tax on all registered members.
Sizable majorities of adults in six European countries with a mandatory tax say they pay it and few say they are likely to opt out.
