Television is Vulnerable in Changing News Landscape
27 September 2012 There are signs that television news -- like the print news sources before it -- may be losing its hold on the next generation of news consumers. Online and digital news consumption continues to increase, driven by expanding use of mobile devices and the rise of social networking.
• Slideshow of Key Findings
A Record One-in-Five Households Now Owe Student Loan Debt
26 September 2012 Student debt has increased in nearly every demographic and economic category since 2007, as has the size of that debt. The burden of student debt is greatest for the young and the poor.
Rising Tide of Restrictions on Religion
20 September 2012 Three-quarters of the world's 7 billion people now live in countries with high government restrictions on religion or high social hostilities involving religion, up from 70% last year.
• Interactive: Restrictions on Religion
Obama Ahead with Stronger Support, Better Image
19 September 2012 With an eight-point lead over Mitt Romney among likely voters, Barack Obama holds a bigger September lead than the last three candidates who went on to win in November. Obama's support is also stronger and more positive than Romney's.
• Video: Andy Kohut on PBS NewsHour
• See slideshow of key findings
• Voter Preferences by Religious Group
A Recovery No Better than the Recession
12 September 2012 The median income of American households decreased by as much in the two years after the official end of the Great Recession as it did during the recession itself. The current recovery is the worst for household income for any post-recession period in at least four decades.
• Census Releases New Poverty Numbers
• The Lost Decade of the Middle Class
• Video: Our Findings on the Middle Class
5 September 2012 Four years ago, voters' descriptions of Barack Obama focused on his newness on the political scene and "change" was the most frequently-used positive term. According to a new Pew Research/Washington Post poll released today, the public's descriptions now reflect the mixed views of his presidency.
• Obama, Romney, Biden, Ryan in One Word
The Master Character Narratives in Campaign 2012
23 August 2012 The portrayal in the news media of the character and records of the two presidential contenders has been as negative as any campaign in recent times, and neither has enjoyed any advantage over the other. A new report looks at the main media narratives and whether they are breaking through with voters.
• How the Candidates Use Social Media
• Mormonism in the 2012 Election
• Campaign 2012
Up to 1.7M Unauthorized Youth Eligible to Stay in U.S.
14 August 2012 An updated analysis of President Obama's new deportation policy finds 1.7 million of 4.4 million unauthorized immigrants ages 30 and under could qualify for temporary but renewable work permits to remain in the U.S. legally.
Tiger Moms
Most Americans agree with Amy Chua that U.S. parents aren't tough enough, but most Asians think parents put too much pressure on children.
Un-Mirrored Self-Images
Nine-in-ten U.S. adults say most of their fellow Americans are overweight. But only 39% say they themselves are overweight.
Does Google Make Us Stupid?
Most experts say the internet will enhance--not degrade--our intelligence. It will also change the way we read and write and be rebuilt by new gadgetry and applications.
How Do You Get Your News? It Might Depend on Where You Live.
26 September 2012 Urban residents are more likely to use mobile and online sources, suburbanites are most heavily into social media, and rural residents are more inclined to word of mouth sources.
• Graphic: How City, Suburban and Rural Communities Differ
Many Say Press Coverage of Obama and Romney Has Been Fair
25 September 2012 Nearly half (46%) say the coverage of Romney and Obama has been fair. Among those who see a bias, as many say the press has been too easy on Romney (20%) as too tough on him (21%), while nearly twice as many say press coverage of the president has been too easy (28%) than too tough (15%).
• Voters Offer Tepid Ratings of 2012 Candidates
• Economy, Jobs Still Top Issues for Voters
Commentary: Russians Have Their Own Ideas of Democracy
24 September 2012 James Bell, director of international survey research, discusses how Russians view the recent election protests and whether foreign powers played a role in the protests on the New York Times Room for Debate blog.
In Obama Era, Anti-Americanism Persists in Muslim Nations
21 September 2012 In a piece for Foreign Policy, Richard Wike of the Pew Global Attitudes Project looks at why the Muslim world hasn't warmed toward America in recent years.
• Map: U.S. Controversies over Mosques, Islamic Centers
Public Views on Government Assistance, Taxes and the Candidates
20 September 2012 With the national conversation focused on class, the social safety net and the distribution of wealth, recent Pew Research Center surveys find that the public sees clear differences between Obama and Romney on these issues. Still, aspects of both candidates' arguments resonate with the public.
Almost Half of U.S. Hispanic Population Lives in 10 Metropolitan Areas
19 September 2012 The Los Angeles metropolitan area has the nation's largest Hispanic population followed by the New York metropolitan area. California and Texas are home to six of the 10 largest Hispanic metropolitan populations.
• Interactive Map of Metro-Area Hispanic Populations
• Hispanic Student Enrollments Reach New Highs
U.S. Public Concerned About China As Economic Competitor, World Threat
18 September 2012 Despite generally positive assessments of U.S.-China relations, tthe U.S. public is more concerned than experts about China's growing economic strength. About half say the Asian nation's emergence as a world power poses a major threat to America.
• Pew Research and Carnegie Interactive: How Do Americans View the World?
Obama's Re-election Run: What Does the World Want?
18 September 2012 View a slideshow of international opinion about Obama and his re-election run, from the Pew Global Attitudes Project.
Middle East Turmoil Closely Followed
17 September 2012 Four-in-ten Americans say they are closely following the news about the attacks on U.S. embassies in the Middle East. Those following have much more positive opinions about Barack Obama's handling of the situation than Mitt Romney's comments on the crisis.
Photos and Videos are Key Social Currency Online
13 September 2012 Fully 46% of internet users post original photos and videos online and 41% curate photos and videos on image-sharing sites. Women are more likely than men to use Pinterest, while Instagram and Tumblr attract equal shares of men and women.
• Graphic: Our Smartphone Habits
Democrats Now More Positive than Republicans on Campaign 2012
12 September 2012 Following the political party conventions, Democrats express increasingly positive views of the presidential campaign. Fewer Republicans see the campaign as interesting or informative.
• Clinton Outshines Obama at DNC
• Eastwood Shares Top Billing With Romney at RNC
• Do Conventions Still Matter?
A Third of Public Identifies as Being in the Lower Classes
10 September 2012 One in three Americans now says they are part of the lower or lower-middle classes, compared with one in four Americans who identified as such four years ago. More people under age 30, Hispanics, and whites self-identify in these categories.
• Public Says Stable Job is Ticket to Middle Class
• Are Americans Better Off Today?
• Economic News Bad? Depends on Your Politics
Deepening Economic Doubts in India
10 September 2012 The economic euphoria in India over the last few years has suddenly soured. Although still relatively upbeat compared with many other countries, the Indian public's confidence in their country's direction and future economic growth has declined significantly since last year.
More Than Half of Mobile Users Avoid Certain Apps Due to Privacy Concerns
5 September 2012 Fully 54% of mobile application users have avoided certain apps and 30% have uninstalled an app due to concerns about the way personal information is shared or collected by the app.
• Most Mobile Users Report Dropped, Unwanted Calls
• Half of U.S. Adults Use Phones While Watching TV
Social Media's Influence on Politics
4 September 2012 Campaign and policy-related material on social networking sites play a modest role in influencing most users’ views and political activities. Democrats and liberals are the most likely to say the sites have impact.
Medicare Voucher Plan Remains Unpopular with American Public
21 August 2012 Paul Ryan's selection to the GOP ticket has put the issue of Medicare squarely on the campaign agenda. The public is aware of a proposal to change Medicare and is more opposed than supportive of the idea.
Further Decline in Credibility
Ratings for Most News Organizations
16 August 2012 For the second time in a decade, the believability ratings for major news organizations have suffered broad-based declines. Find out which news organizations have been affected most.
• Where Journalists Risk Their Lives to Report
• For Communication Grads, A Modest Job Recovery
12 September 2012 Mark Hugo Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center, discusses the importance of the Latino vote in the 2012 presidential election, the issues that are important to Latino voters and what the demographic trends say about the future. Ask the Expert archive
The Political Party Quiz
Do your views align more with Republicans, Democrats or Independents? Answer 12 questions in our new politics quiz, built in partnership with PBS NewsHour, and we'll tell you where you fit on the political spectrum. See how you compare to other Americans by age, gender, race and religion.
Test Your News IQ
Take our 11-question quiz about the presidential election and the news. Then see how you did in comparison with 1,010 randomly sampled adults (and 771 voters). Tell us how you did on Facebook.
How Red or Blue Are You?
Answer a series of questions about your beliefs to find where you come out on the political spectrum. Are you Staunch Conservative or a Solid Liberal? Compare yourself to others who participated in our nationwide survey. Read the full report.
How 'Millennial' Are You?
Take our quiz and we'll tell you how "Millennial" you are, on a scale from 0 to 100, by comparing your answers with those of respondents to a scientific nationwide survey.
Test Your Religion IQ
How much do you know about the world's major religions? And how do you score compared with the average American? Take our quiz and find out.
Couples Quiz
Who calls the shots in your home? Nowadays, it's often the woman who wears the pantsuit. Take our quiz to find out where you fit.
Visit Interactive for other features.
How Do Americans View the World?
Explore an interactive feature illustrating trends in American attitudes on foreign affairs from the Pew Research Center and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The Rise of Asian Americans
Explore an interactive map of Asian Americans, including Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, Indian Americans, Vietnamese Americans, Korean Americans and Japanese Americans.
• Infographic: Data About Asian Americans
• The Full Report: The Rise of Asian Americans
Who Owns the News Media?
An interactive database of firms that own news properties in the U.S. lets you explore each media sector. Updated, July 2012.
Mapping Muslims Globally
Explore interactive maps covering 232 countries and territories that show the size and distribution of the 1.6 billion Muslim population.
Migration, by Religion
An interactive database shows the religious affiliation of international migrants and examines patterns among seven major religious groups.
Public Attitudes Across the Globe
Explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes toward the U.S. to views about globalization, democratization, an extremism. Results can be displayed in map, table or chart format.
Tracking Family Trends
Explore five decades of economic and demographic change in the structure of American families with an interactive database.