State and Local Government

Six-in-ten say the primary reason the number of confirmed coronavirus cases is increasing is that there are more new infections; 39% say cases are rising mainly because more people are being tested than in previous months.

A majority of Americans continue to say their greater concern is that state governments will lift coronavirus-related restrictions on public activity too quickly.

U.S. adults express wide concern that states will lift COVID-19 restrictions too quickly.

Majorities express confidence in how the CDC and state and local officials are responding to the outbreak.

Police officers in the United States still make more arrests for marijuana offenses than for any other drug, according to FBI data.

Columbus Day is one of the most inconsistently celebrated U.S. holidays. Fewer than half of U.S. states give their employees the day as a paid holiday.

Most states in the U.S. allow children to be exempt from vaccinations due to religious concerns.

More than a third of the states that allow executions haven’t carried one out in at least 10 years or, in some cases, much longer.

Data from the past 50 years reveal the upward yet uneven trajectory of black political leadership in America.

At a time of growing stress on democracy around the world, Americans generally agree on democratic ideals and values that are important for the United States.