U.S. Politics

The United States is the oldest continuous democracy in the world, and a model and inspiration for other nations seeking to build democratic institutions. One of the core pillars of American liberty is a free press. Pew conducts opinion surveys that track public attitudes toward the press and politics. At the same time, Pew issues major reports that examine long-term trends in the political values of Americans, as well as their views on policy issues and priorities, political knowledge, and news interest.

May 10, 2018 Public Supports U.S. Talks With North Korea; Many Doubt Whether Its Leaders Are ‘Serious’ Americans overwhelmingly support direct talks between the United States and North Korea over its nuclear program. About seven-in-ten (71%) approve of these talks, while just 21% disapprove. However, the public is skeptical about whether North Korea’s leaders are serious about addressing concerns over its nuclear program. Overall, 49% say North Korea’s leadership is not serious […]

May 8, 2018 Public Is Skeptical of the Iran Agreement – and Trump’s Handling of the Issue As Donald Trump prepares to announce his long-awaited decision on the Iran nuclear agreement, more Americans say they disapprove (40%) than approve (32%) of the agreement.

May 3, 2018 Trump Viewed Less Negatively on Issues, but Most Americans Are Critical of His Conduct A majority of Americans find little or no common ground with Donald Trump on issues, but the share who say they agree with him on many or all issues has risen since last August.

April 26, 2018 The Public, the Political System and American Democracy Survey Report 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. But for the most part, they see the country falling well short in living up to these ideals, according to a new study of opinion on the […]

March 22, 2018 Positive Views of Economy Surge, Driven by Major Shifts Among Republicans Americans’ views of national economic conditions continue to improve, with the share saying the economy is in good or excellent condition now at its highest point in nearly two decades. The overall rise in positive assessments seen over the last year is driven by the shifting views of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. Nearly three-quarters of […]

March 20, 2018 Wide Gender Gap, Growing Educational Divide in Voters’ Party Identification Survey Report As the 2018 midterm elections approach, women and especially college graduates have moved toward the Democratic Party. By contrast, the Republican Party’s advantage in leaned party identification among white voters without a college degree has never been greater, dating back more than two decades. While partisanship among voters usually does not change much […]

March 15, 2018 Public Confidence in Mueller’s Investigation Remains Steady Survey Report The public continues to express at least some confidence that Robert Mueller will conduct a fair investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election. A majority of Americans (61%) say they are very or somewhat confident Mueller will conduct a fair investigation; these views have changed only modestly since December. While opinions about […]

March 1, 2018 The Generation Gap in American Politics Generational differences have long been a factor in U.S. politics. These divisions are now as wide as they have been in decades, with the potential to shape politics well into the future.