Denial of the broad scientific consensus that human activity is the primary cause of global warming could become a guiding principle of Donald Trump’s presidential administration. … Scientific reality does not seem to have escaped the distorting influence of political polarization in the United States. A paper published in Environment […] Read more »
Should stores say ‘merry Christmas’? Trump says yes. But just ask the shop owners.
Donald Trump’s path to electoral victory was paved in part with a promise that Santa Claus might make: “We’re all going to be saying ‘merry Christmas’ again.” … Gerry Bowler, who just published his third book about the history of Christmas, said most Americans blithely said “merry Christmas,” with perhaps […] Read more »
One Problem for Democratic Leaders is Democratic Voters
Leaders on the Democratic left who want to represent the have-nots face an obstacle: their own voters. … Mark Muro, the director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, analyzed the differences between those communities that supported Hillary Clinton and those that backed Donald Trump. The findings of Muro and […] Read more »
Little Confidence in Major American Institutions
Few Americans have much confidence in many key U.S. institutions like local and federal government, big business, agencies like the FBI and CIA and the national news media, according to results from a brand-new NBC News/Wall Street Journal. The exceptions: A combined 73 percent of American adults have either a […] Read more »
‘Merry Christmas’ vs. ‘Happy Holidays’
As the country becomes more diverse and less religiously affiliated, Americans are divided over whether it is more appropriate for stores and businesses to greet customers with “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings” instead of “Merry Christmas” out of respect for people of different religious faiths: 47% say they should, while […] Read more »
Americans Rate Healthcare Providers High on Honesty, Ethics
Most Americans trust their healthcare providers to be honest and ethical, but few other professions fare so well in Gallup’s annual look at honesty and ethical standards among various fields. Nurses top the list with 84% of the public rating their standards as “high” or “very high,” while members of […] Read more »