Majorities of Americans say the tone of political debate in the country has become more negative, less respectful, less fact-based and less substantive in recent years.

The post Public Highly Critical of State of Political Discourse in the U.S. appeared first on Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

When asked about the ideal age for a president, most Democrats say they prefer someone in their 40s through their 60s, with nearly half (47%) saying the best age for a president is “in their 50s.” Two of the Democratic Party’s best-known candidates, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, are in their 70s, yet only 3% […]

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Republicans who did not agree with the tea party during Obama era were somewhat less likely to remain affiliated with GOP years later. Republicans who had positive views of the tea party movement in 2014 or 2015 were among Trump’s most enthusiastic backers during the 2016 campaign.

The post Trump’s Staunch GOP Supporters Have Roots in the Tea Party appeared first on Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

A majority of Americans (61%) favor allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally, while about half as many (31%) oppose same-sex marriage. Republicans and Democrats remain deeply divided over legal marriage for gays and lesbians – though support has increased significantly in both parties over the past 15 years.

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While 64% of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Israeli people, fewer than half view the Israeli government favorably. There are wide partisan gaps in opinions of Israelis and Palestinians.

The post U.S. Public Has Favorable View of Israel’s People, but Is Less Positive Toward Its Government appeared first on Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Today, 64% of Americans say Jews face at least some discrimination, a 20-percentage-point increase from 2016. Partisans are divided in their views of discrimination against Jews – and many other groups.

The post Sharp Rise in the Share of Americans Saying Jews Face Discrimination appeared first on Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

When Americans are asked to make up the budget for the federal government, they have little appetite for austerity measures. Asked about 13 different government program areas, from veterans benefits to foreign aid, no more than about a quarter favor reducing spending in any specific area. The survey by Pew Research Center, conducted March 20-25 […]

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If you were making up the budget for the federal government this year, would you increase spending, decrease spending or keep spending the same for …   See related report: “Little Public Support for Reductions in Federal Spending”

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