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 »
Five Key Findings on Religion in the U.S.
Religion remains an integral part of most Americans’ lives, but Gallup’s ongoing research shows how this has changed over time. The following are five important findings about religion in the U.S.: 1. America remains a largely Christian nation, although less so than in the past. CONT. Frank Newport, Gallup 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 »
1990s Oregon campaigns anticipated Trump’s politics of division
Arlene Stein, Rutgers University The white working class surprised many pundits and social scientists by supporting Donald Trump, leading some to describe the election results as a “whitelash.” The fact that the president-elect successfully mobilized this population was far from inevitable. After all, a fair number of Trump supporters once […] Read more »