AP-NORC Poll: Pope Francis popular, but influence limited

Pope Francis’ comments Thursday that Donald Trump is “not a Christian” if he supports a wall along the Mexican border put the Republican presidential contender in the uncomfortable position of being pitted against a more popular political figure, according to recent polling on the pope’s standing among Americans and American […] Read more »

Why Gun Control and Abortion Are Different From Gay Marriage

The legalization of same-sex marriage is a potent example of a dominant theme in American history: Over time, civil rights expand, and discrimination ebbs. … As a result, it’s fair to divide the major issues in American political life into two broad categories. In one category are the rights-based issues […] Read more »

Americans Continue to Shift Left on Key Moral Issues

Americans are more likely now than in the early 2000s to find a variety of behaviors morally acceptable, including gay and lesbian relations, having a baby outside of marriage and sex between an unmarried man and woman. Moral acceptability of many of these issues is now at a record-high level. […] Read more »