While finding that Americans narrowly favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to legally marry, a new Associated Press-GfK poll also shows most believe wedding-related businesses should be allowed to deny service to same-sex couples for religious reasons. CONT. Emily Swanson & Brady McCombs, AP Read more »
Terrorism Worries Little Changed; Most Give Government Good Marks for Reducing Threat
In the aftermath of deadly terrorist attacks in Paris — and months after the start of U.S. airstrikes against ISIS — there has been little change in the public’s worries about an imminent terrorist attack in the United States. … In addition, the public gives high ratings to the U.S. […] Read more »
Growing Concern about Rise of Islamic Extremism at Home and Abroad
As President Obama prepares to address the nation about the militant group ISIS, the public has become more worried about Islamic extremism. Six-in-ten (62%) are very concerned about the rise of Islamic extremism around the world, which is the largest share dating back to 2007. A somewhat smaller majority (53%) […] Read more »
Social Media and the ‘Spiral of Silence’
A major insight into human behavior from pre-internet era studies of communication is the tendency of people not to speak up about policy issues in public—or among their family, friends, and work colleagues—when they believe their own point of view is not widely shared. This tendency is called the “spiral […] Read more »
The Conservative Divide Over Ferguson
We’re used to just about every American controversy polarizing swiftly along right-left lines, but the discussion of events in Ferguson has been a striking exception thus far. Within the commentariat, the most interesting division has opened within American conservatism, where a large group of conservative and libertarian writers have been […] Read more »
Are you happy?
… While the U.S. is an exceptional country in many ways, we are not exceptionally happy, ranking 11th in the world, ahead of France, Germany, Qatar and Colombia but behind Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and Canada. But beyond their individual personalities and genetic endowments, what makes some people happier […] Read more »