Pew Research Center takes the pulse of Americans and people around the world on a host of issues every year. We explore public opinion on topics ranging from foreign policy to cyberbullying, as well as demographic trends, such as the emergence of the post-Millennial generation and changes in the number […] Read more »
Are Smart People Ruining Democracy?
Is political polarization over the reality of climate change, the efficacy of gun control, the safety of nuclear power, and other policy-relevant facts attributable to a simple deficit in public science literacy? Dan Kahan reviews study results showing that polarization on complex factual issues rises in lockstep with culturally diverse […] Read more »
Navigator Research: Americans Want the New Congress to Provide a Check on the White House
… This survey confirms what was found in the election-night exit polls: more voters meant to express opposition to Trump (43%) than support (29%). That gap widens slightly when the contrast is framed as a “check and balance” (46%) versus support for Trump (27%). … As Democrats seek to set their […] Read more »
Which Americans support the Second Amendment? The answer depends on whether whites or blacks have the guns.
… Much political science research has found that attitudes about racial groups influence public opinion on a wide range of topics and can inform voters’ decisions at the polls. Decades of research have also shown that the public finds it easier to extend free-speech rights to popular groups. Our findings […] Read more »
What Americans Want Their Government to Do Now
A good deal of the focus in the runup to the 2018 midterm elections centers on broad political and social currents — feelings about President Donald Trump, generalized cultural differences, nationalism versus globalism, and the highly politicized partisan acrimony to which we have become accustomed. But there are issues that […] Read more »
Young Americans are more likely to vote this year than past two midterms, new poll finds
Young Americans under the age of 30, mobilized in part by strong disapproval of President Trump and a desire for Democrats to control Congress, are likelier to vote this year than they were ahead of midterm elections in 2014 and 2010, according to a new poll. The survey, from the […] Read more »