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.
Americans have little appetite for austerity in government programs. Most either want to increase spending or maintain it at current levels. At the same time, their trust in the federal government remains near a historic low.
Overall public views of the fairness of the nation’s tax system have changed only modestly since 2017, before passage of major tax legislation. However, partisan differences on tax fairness have increased considerably since then, and now are wider than at any point in at least two decades.
About half of Americans say reducing the budget deficit should be a top policy priority this year for the president and Congress.
No matter who they blamed for previous government shutdowns or how much they felt personally affected by them, most Americans have had negative opinions about them.
Many federal workers live and work far from D.C., with substantial numbers in districts scattered across the country – and represented by both Democratic and GOP members of Congress.
The government shutdown has squeezed the daily flood of data from federal agencies down to a trickle. Take a look at what data are and are not available.
Although most Americans back a higher minimum wage, wide disparities in local living costs make finding an appropriate rate difficult.
Americans’ views of free trade agreements, which turned more negative during the 2016 campaign, are now about as positive as they were prior to the campaign.
