Report

• Abortion Plays Small Role in Health Reform Opposition

  Nov 19, 2009 - While most Americans oppose government funding of abortion, few cite funding as a reason for opposing health care reform legislation. If anything, opposition to reform has declined since abortion was debated, with currently 42% in favor and 39% opposed to the reform proposals in Congress.

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• A Year Out, Widespread Anti-Incumbent Sentiment

  Nov 11, 2009 - The mood of America is glum. Most are dissatisfied with the state of the nation, economic conditions, personal finances and an increasing number say the war in Afghanistan is not going well, according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Still, a majority continues to approve of Obama's job as president.

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• Searching For Clues in the Global Warming Puzzle

  Oct 27, 2009 - Why do fewer Americans believe the earth is warming? A range of possibilities, including a sour economy and, perhaps, a cooler than normal summer in parts of the U.S., may provide an explanation.

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• Fewer Americans See Solid Evidence of Global Warming

  Oct 22, 2009 - Substantially more Republicans and independents now doubt that global temperatures are rising. Still, by 50% to 39%, the public supports capping carbon emissions even if energy prices rise.

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• What Does the Public Know?

  Oct 14, 2009 - There is a lot to keep up with in the news right now. The Pew Research Center's latest News IQ Quiz finds that many Americans know key facts about health care and the economy, but questions about Afghanistan and environmental legislation in Congress stump the public. Before reading the report, see how much you know by taking the quiz.  

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• Mixed Views of Economic Policies and Health Care Reform Persist

  Oct 08, 2009 - Public opinion is conflicted regarding the two major domestic issues of the day – the economy and health care reform. On the economy, most Americans remain optimistic that Barack Obama’s policies will help, but the public expresses mixed views of the steps he has taken so far and sees no clear signs of recovery at this point.

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• Obama Approval Ratings Steady, Personal Image Remains Positive

  Sep 17, 2009 - Obama’s job approval ratings, which had declined in the summer, have remained essentially unchanged over the past month. And the balance of opinion regarding the health care reform proposals before Congress has become a bit more positive than it was in late August, though the public is about evenly divided over those proposals.

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• Public Souring on Washington

  Aug 19, 2009 - More say the president and GOP leaders are not working together, as Obama's approval inches lower and the Democratic Party's favorability falls sharply. Opinion about the economy remains negative with personal financial assessments becoming more bearish, according to the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

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• Budget Woes Take Toll on Views of State Governments

  Aug 11, 2009 - The falloff in favorable views has been greater in states with the largest deficits, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Also, views of the federal government have shifted dramatically over partisan lines under the new administration.

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• Public Praises Science; Scientists Fault Public, Media

  Jul 09, 2009 - A new survey of scientists and the public finds large majorities holding positive views of science. But scientists are concerned about Americans' ignorance of scientific findings and large differences exist between the two groups' views on evolution and global warming. Still, both groups overwhelmingly agree government investments in science and technology pay off in the long run.

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• Independents Take Center Stage in the Obama Era

  May 21, 2009 - Centrism has emerged as a dominant factor in public opinion as the Obama administration begins. Republicans and Democrats are even more divided than in the past, while an increasing number of Americans identify as independents. The Pew Research Center's long-term values study tracks beliefs and attitudes—on government, business, race, religion and more—shaping public opinion and influencing voting behavior.

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• Through Boom and Bust: Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership

  May 12, 2009 - The ups and downs in the U.S. housing market over the past decade and a half have generated both greater gains and larger losses for minority groups than for whites, according to an analysis of housing, economic and demographic data by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

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• Obama at 100 Days: Strong Job Approval, Even Higher Personal Ratings

  Apr 23, 2009 - As he approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency, Barack Obama’s job approval ratings are higher than those of his most recent predecessors. However, the 44th president is even more distinguished by his strong personal popularity.

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• Partisan Bickering Is Back, Says Public

  Apr 08, 2009 - A majority of Americans (53%) currently says that Republicans and Democrats have been bickering and opposing each more than usual, while just a quarter (25%) say the two sides have been working together more. The biggest partisan gap over budget priorities is with respect to health care.

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• Americans Favor Carbon Cap, Gays in the Military and Renewing U.S.-Cuba Ties

  Mar 25, 2009 - The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press explores the public's opinion of several proposals that are currently being considered or may emerge in the future.

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• Most Support Health Care Overhaul but Fewer Want Total Rebuild than in 1993

  Mar 19, 2009 - The public still favors government-guaranteed health insurance and support for stem-cell research remains unchanged, according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

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• Public Has Split Verdict on Increased Level of Unmarried Motherhood

  Mar 19, 2009 - A new report shows out-of-wedlock births rose to record levels in 2007. A Pew Research survey that year found wide concern about the social costs, but only a minority saw such births as morally wrong.

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• Obama’s Approval Rating Slips Amid Division Over Economic Proposals

  Mar 16, 2009 - Most people think the new president is doing as much as he can to fix the economy, but the public expresses mixed views of his many major proposals to fix the economy. The public overwhelmingly supports Obama's plan to remove most combat troops from Iraq by the end of August but a much narrower majority supports his planned troop buildup in Afghanistan.

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• One-In-Five Homeowners Feel “Underwater” On Mortgages

  Feb 19, 2009 - The young, the less affluent and members of minority groups are more likely to say their homes are worth less than what they owe on their mortgages, according to the latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

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• No Place Like Home -- Even if the Value Is in the Tank

  Feb 19, 2009 - Not even a housing-led recession can shake Americans' faith in the blessings of homeownership.

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• Obama Faces Familiar Divisions Over Anti-Terror Policies

  Feb 18, 2009 - Americans approve of Obama's handling of terrorist threats by more than two-to-one but views about Guantanamo, torture and surveillance remain divided along familiar lines.

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• Support for Stimulus Plan Slips, But Obama Rides High

  Feb 09, 2009 - After weeks of intense debate over President Obama’s economic stimulus plan, a narrow majority of Americans who have heard about the $800 billion plan say it is a good idea, while 34% say it is a bad idea.

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• Economy, Jobs Trump All Other Policy Priorities In 2009

  Jan 22, 2009 - While it is not unusual for Americans to prioritize domestic over foreign policy, a new Pew Research Center survey finds strengthening the economy and improving the job situation are higher priorities today than at any point over the past decade, and the recent upward trend has been steep.

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• Gains Seen On Minority Discrimination - But Little Else

  Jan 07, 2009 - As Barack Obama prepares to take office, majorities say the country is losing ground on any number of key issues, particularly economic ones.

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• What a Year! People-Press Poll Reports in 2008

  Dec 16, 2008 - Findings from Pew Research Center polls over the year told the story of the longest -- and one of the most exciting -- presidential elections in U.S. history as well as recording the public's reactions to other major events ranging from the pope's visit, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the onset of a mega-economic downturn.

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• Hillary’s New Job Better Known than Dow Jones Average

  Dec 15, 2008 - While just about everyone knows Obama's new secretary of state, fewer than half were generally aware of where the Dow is trading these days. A new Pew News IQ survey provides an updated look at the public's knowledge of political and world affairs.

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• Public Not Desperate About Economy or Personal Finances

  Oct 15, 2008 - Americans are concerned about the nation’s economic problems and they register the lowest level of national satisfaction ever measured in a Pew Research Center survey. But there is little indication that the nation’s financial crisis has triggered public panic or despair.

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• Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life

  Apr 09, 2008 - This report on the attitudes and lives of the American middle class combines results of a new Pew Research Center national public opinion survey with the center's analysis of relevant economic and demographic trend data from the Census Bureau.

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• Public Sends Mixed Signals on Energy Policy

  Mar 06, 2008 - At a time of rising energy prices, the public continues to be conflicted in its overall approach toward energy and the environment.

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• Global Warming Falls Still Farther on Republicans' Policy Agenda

  Jan 30, 2008 - Just 12% of Republications call global warming a "top priority."  

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• An Even More Partisan Agenda for 2008

  Jan 24, 2008 - The latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press finds signs of considerable unease with the nation's economy. While opinions about the economy have not declined since fall, they are the most negative economic ratings at the beginning of any presidential year since 1992.

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• What Was -- and Wasn’t -- On the Public’s Mind in 2007

  Dec 19, 2007 - The Pew Research Center released a compilation of the top 15 stories in which public opinion played a significant role, and the year's most notable "non-barking dogs."

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• Report: Mixed Views on Immigration Bill

  Jun 01, 2007 - The public is ambivalent about the immigration bill being debated by the Senate.Yet one of the bill's primary goals, to provide a way for people who are in this country illegally to gain legal citizenship under certain conditions, wins broad bipartisan support.

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• Muslim Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream

  May 01, 2007 - The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans found them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate.

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• Emerging Priorities for 2006 – Energy, Crime and Environment

  Jan 25, 2006 - Results of a 2006 public opinion poll on the economy, national priorities and President Bush's State of the Union address.

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• Confidence In PA State Government At Lowest Point in Two Years

  Oct 14, 2005 - IssuesPA/Pew poll findings on confidence in Pennsylvania's government.

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• Findings On Religion, Politics And Party Influence

  Aug 30, 2005 - Results of a summer 2005 public opinion poll on U.S. attitudes about religion and politics.

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• Plurality Favors Centrist Court Nominee; Republicans Uncertain on Rove Resignation

  Jul 21, 2005 - National survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press on opinions of Karl Rove, the Supreme Court and President Bush.

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• Commentary on Social Security Polling: Cross Currents in Opinion About Private Accounts

  Jan 28, 2005 - Poll finds that public opinion on Social Security proposals in circulation appears to be flexible.

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• 'Trends 2005' by the Pew Research Center

  Jan 25, 2005 - Information projects of the Pew Research Center take the pulse of the American public in this reference book, "Trends 2005."

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• In Good Company (Fall 2004 Trust Magazine article)

  Oct 01, 2004 -  A new subsidiary — the Pew Research Center — is one change following Pew's governing transformation. The components of this organization, however, are well known.

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• A Year of Contention at Home and Abroad

  Jan 29, 2004 - A 2003 year-end report from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press summarizes nearly 50,000 interviews in the U.S. and worldwide.

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