Worries About Terrorism, Race Relations Up Sharply

Out of 15 domestic issues, Americans’ concerns about terrorism and race relations have risen most sharply over the past year. The percentage of Americans who worry “a great deal” about the possibility of a terrorist attack (51%) climbed 12 percentage points from 2014 to 2015, while concerns about race relations […] Read more »

Changing Coalitions: Will GOP Have to Toss Its Medicare Plan?

More gray. Less green. Continuing the reversal of historic political alignments, House Republicans in the new Congress represent most districts with the highest share of seniors–as well as a narrow majority of seats where the median income lags below the national average, a Next America analysis has found. This counterintuitive […] Read more »

Democrats and Republicans Agree on More Than You Think & Why That Matters for 2016

By now, everyone knows that our political parties are deeply polarized—and the American people only somewhat less so. Does that mean that we can’t even agree on the problems we need to address? To some extent, according to a recent Pew Research Center study, the answer is yes. There are […] Read more »

Americans See Healthcare, Low Wages as Top Financial Problems

Healthcare costs and lack of money or low wages rank as the most important financial problems facing American families, each mentioned by 14% of U.S. adults. Fewer Americans than a year ago cite the high cost of living or unemployment, and the percentage naming oil or gas prices is down […] Read more »

Mood on Economy Up, Race Relations Sharply Down

Americans’ views about the economy, their overall quality of life and the opportunity to get ahead through hard work are more positive than they were before the 2014 State of the Union Address — echoing their improving economic confidence. At the same time, Americans are markedly less satisfied with the […] Read more »

Little Enthusiasm, Familiar Divisions After the GOP’s Big Midterm Victory

After a sweeping midterm election victory on Nov. 4, the Republican Party retook full control of Congress. But the public has mixed reactions to the GOP’s big win – much as it did four years ago, after Republicans gained control of the House though not the Senate. The post-election survey […] Read more »