News

Cell phones and American adults Thursday, September 02, 2010
Texting by American adults has increased substantially over the past year, but still does not approach the magnitude of text messages exchanged by adolescents. Some 72% of adult cell phone users send and receive text messages now, up from 65% in September 2009. Fully 87% of teen cell users text. Teens text 50 messages a day on average, five times more than the typical 10 text messages sent and received by adults per day. The results are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between April 29 and May 30, 2010, among a sample of 2,252 adults, age 18 and older. Interviews were conducted in English.

Newsweek Poll: Obama and Muslims Friday, August 27, 2010
With the midterm Congressional elections now less than two and one-half months away, a NEWSWEEK POLL shows Barack Obama’s approval rating remaining below the 50 percent mark. In the new poll, 47% of Americans say they approve of the job he is doing overall while 45% say they disapprove. In the midst of the controversy about the construction of a mosque and cultural center within a few blocks of the former WTC site in New York City, this most recent NEWSWEEK poll shows American opinion toward Muslim Americans is about as positive as it has ever been. Anti-Muslim attitudes seem to be concentrated among certain segments of the public and not widely held. In fact, nearly three-quarters (72%) of the public say it would be okay with them for a group of Muslim Americans to build a mosque in their local community.

Public Remains Conflicted Over Islam Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The public continues to express conflicted views of Islam. Favorable opinions of Islam have declined since 2005, but there has been virtually no change over the past year in the proportion of Americans saying that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence. As was the case a year ago, slightly more people say the Islamic religion does not encourage violence more than other religions (42%) than say that it does (35%).

Growing Number Say Obama is a Muslim Thursday, August 19, 2010
A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while the proportion saying he is a Christian has declined. More than a year and a half into his presidency, a plurality of the public says they do not know what religion Obama follows.

Home Broadband 2010 Thursday, August 12, 2010
After several consecutive years of modest but consistent growth, broadband adoption slowed dramatically in 2010. Two-thirds of American adults (66%) currently use a high-speed internet connection at home, a figure that is not statistically different from what The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found at a similar point in 2009, when 63% of Americans were broadband adopters. The results in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between April 29 and May 30, 2010, among a sample of 2,252 adults ages 18 and older, including 744 reached on a cell phone. Interviews were conducted in English.

Republicans Faring Better with Men, Whites, Independents and Seniors Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Republican Party’s prospects for the midterm elections look much better than they did four years ago at this time, while the Democrats’ look much worse. Voter preferences for the upcoming congressional elections remain closely divided (45% support the Democratic candidate or lean Democratic, while 44% favor the Republican or lean Republican). In polling conducted in August-September 2006, the Democrats held an 11-point advantage (50% to 39%).

Earmarks Could Help Candidates in Midterms Monday, August 02, 2010
In the congressional elections this fall, candidates with a record of bringing government projects and money to their districts may have an edge. A majority of Americans (53%) say they are more likely to vote for a candidate with a record of delivering earmarks for their districts; just 12% say they would be less likely to vote for such a candidate. A third of the public (33%) says this would make no difference in their vote either way.

Minnesota Poll: Democrats hold lead over Emmer Monday, August 02, 2010
In the race to become the next governor of Minnesota, DFL candidates Mark Dayton and Margaret Anderson Kelliher each appear to hold significant leads over Republican challenger Tom Emmer, a Star Tribune Minnesota Poll has found. A third DFLer, Matt Entenza, has a statistically insignificant lead over Emmer in the poll. This report is based on findings from a survey conducted July 26-29, 2010 by PSRAI for the Star Tribune among 902 Minnesota adults.

Health Tracking — July 2010 Friday, July 30, 2010
Overall public support for the health reform law is steady from June, while unfavorable views of the law have trended downward. Half the public (50%) now expresses a favorable view of the law, while 35 percent say they have an unfavorable opinion (down from 41% in June).  

Obama's Policies Seen as Better than Bush's for Improving the Economy Monday, July 26, 2010
While most Americans disapprove of Barack Obama’s handling of the economy, far more think his administration’s policies – rather than those of the Bush administration – would do more to improve economic conditions over the next few years. As Congress gears up for debate over the tax cuts passed when Bush was president, the public is divided, with roughly equal numbers in favor of keeping all of Bush’s tax cuts, repealing only those for wealthy Americans, or scrapping them entirely.

The Impact of Long-term Unemployment Thursday, July 22, 2010
Long-term unemployment takes a much deeper toll than short-term unemployment on a person''s finances, emotional well-being and career prospects, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that explores the attitudes and experiences of workers who have lost jobs during the Great Recession. Of those who have experienced an unemployment spell of at least six months, more than four-in-ten (44%) report that the recession has caused "major changes" in their lives. By comparison, fewer than a third (31%) of those who had been unemployed less than six months and 20% of adults who were not unemployed during the recession say they were similarly affected.

Newsweek Poll: How Much Is Beauty Worth at Work? (Business) Monday, July 19, 2010
We’ve all heard the stories about how pretty people have it easy: babies smile more around good-looking parents; handsome kids get better grades and jobs, and earn more money; the list goes on. Still, we’d probably all like to think that we’ve earned our jobs on merit alone—and that, in this economy, it’s our skill that will get us back in the game. But if you believe the results of two new NEWSWEEK Polls, you’d better think again. NEWSWEEK conducted an online survey of 202 corporate hiring managers, from human-resource employees to senior-level VPs, as well as a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 964 members of the public, only to confirm what no qualified (or unqualified) employee wants to admit: that in all elements of the workplace, from hiring to politics to promotions, even, looks matter, and they matter hard.

Gov't Economic Policies Seen as Boon for Banks and Big Business, Not Middle Class or Poor Monday, July 19, 2010
The public sees clear winners and losers from the economic policies the government has implemented since the recession of 2008. Most Americans say these policies have helped large banks, large corporations and the wealthy, while providing little or no help for the poor, the middle class or small businesses.

Newsweek Poll: How Much Is Beauty Worth at Work? (National) Monday, July 19, 2010
We’ve all heard the stories about how pretty people have it easy: babies smile more around good-looking parents; handsome kids get better grades and jobs, and earn more money; the list goes on. Still, we’d probably all like to think that we’ve earned our jobs on merit alone—and that, in this economy, it’s our skill that will get us back in the game. But if you believe the results of two new NEWSWEEK Polls, you’d better think again. NEWSWEEK conducted an online survey of 202 corporate hiring managers, from human-resource employees to senior-level VPs, as well as a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 964 members of the public, only to confirm what no qualified (or unqualified) employee wants to admit: that in all elements of the workplace, from hiring to politics to promotions, even, looks matter, and they matter hard.

Political Knowledge Update Thursday, July 15, 2010
An overwhelming proportion of Americans are familiar with Twitter, the online information-sharing network. Perhaps more surprisingly, a large majority also knows that children who are born to illegal immigrants in the United States are automatically U.S. citizens. Yet the public continues to struggle in identifying political figures, foreign leaders and even knowing facts about key government policies.

Public's Wish List for Congress - Jobs and Deficit Reduction Monday, July 12, 2010
The public overwhelmingly views the job situation as a major priority for Congress during the coming months. Fully 80% say it is very important for Congress to pass legislation to address the job situation, which is virtually unchanged from May (81%).

Republicans Less Positive Toward Supreme Court Friday, July 09, 2010
Republicans’ opinions of the Supreme Court have become less favorable during the Obama administration. As a result, more Democrats than Republicans now express a positive opinion of the Supreme Court – the first time this has occurred since the Clinton administration.

Mobile Access 2010 Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Cell phone and wireless laptop internet use have each grown more prevalent over the last year. Nearly half of all adults (47%) go online with a laptop using a Wi-Fi connection or mobile broadband card (up from the 39% who did so as of April 2009) while 40% of adults use the internet, email or instant messaging on a mobile phone (up from the 32% of Americans who did this in 2009). This means that 59% of adults now access the internet wirelessly using a laptop or cell phone—that is, they answered “yes” to at least one of these wireless access pathways. That adds up to an increase from the 51% who used a laptop or cell phone wirelessly in April 2009. This report is based on the findings of a daily tracking survey on Americans’ use of the Internet. The results in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by PSRAI for the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project between April 29 and May 30, 2010, among a sample of 2,252 adults, age 18 and older. Interviews were conducted in English. To view more from this survey, click here.

The future of social relations Friday, July 02, 2010
The social benefits of internet use will far outweigh the negatives over the next decade, according to experts who responded to a survey about the future of the internet. They say this is because email, social networks, and other online tools offer ‘low-friction’ opportunities to create, enhance, and rediscover social ties that make a difference in people’s lives. The internet lowers traditional communications constraints of cost, geography, and time; and it supports the type of open information sharing that brings people together. This survey was conducted December 2, 2009 – January 11, 2010 by PSRAI for the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and the Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University among 895 internet experts and other internet users. To view more from this survey, click here.

Health Tracking — June 2010 Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The start of summer finds Americans remain divided on the health reform law, but favorable views of the new law increased seven percentage points over the past month to 48 percent, compared to 41 percent who have “generally unfavorable” views and 10 percent who have yet to make up their minds.    With four months remaining until the midterm congressional elections, an early look suggests that the contests could be impacted by a number of different issues, with the economy in the lead but health care also in the mix.  

Afghanistan War Hurting Obama's Support at Home Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The troubled war in Afghanistan is a growing political problem for President Barack Obama. According to a new NEWSWEEK Poll, the lasting impact of his decision to fire Gen. Stanley McChrystal for mouthing off about his civilian bosses in a recent Rolling Stone article—a move most Americans support—has been to raise doubts about the war and undermine confidence in the commander in chief. This survey was conducted June 23-24, 2010 by PSRAI for Newsweek among 964 adults.

Public Rejects Variety Of Options For Fixing State Budgets Monday, June 28, 2010
Most Americans see the deteriorating budget situations in many states as a problem that the states themselves – rather than the federal government – should solve. But when it comes to specific proposals to balance state budgets, there is more opposition than support for each option asked about – particularly cuts in funding for education and public safety programs.

Public Sees a Future Full of Promise and Peril Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Imagine a future in which cancer becomes a memory, ordinary people travel in space, and computers carry on conversations like humans. Now imagine a darker future – a world beset by war, rising temperatures and energy shortages, one where the United States faces a terrorist attack with nuclear weapons. Most Americans think that these developments and many others are likely to unfold over the next 40 years.

Public Uncertain About How to Improve Job Situation Monday, June 21, 2010
A new poll reveals there is very little agreement about what the government should do now to deal with the nation’s biggest economic concern – the job situation. None of the options currently under discussion for dealing with the job situation are viewed as very helpful. In fact, fewer than four-in-ten say each of these proposals would help the job situation a lot: additional spending on public works (37%); cutting taxes for businesses (36%) or individuals (31%); budget cuts to reduce the deficit (34%); or providing money to state and local governments to help them avoid layoffs (33%).

Adults and Cell Phone Distractions Friday, June 18, 2010
Adults are just as likely as teens to have texted while driving and are substantially more likely to have talked on the phone while driving. According to a new survey, one in four (27%) of American adults say they have texted while driving, the same proportion as the number of driving age teens (26%) who say they have texted while driving. Fully 61% of adults say they have talked on their cell phones while behind the wheel, considerably greater than the number of 16- and 17-year olds (43%) who have talked on their cells while driving. This survey was conducted between April 29 and May 30, 2010 by PSRAI for the Pew Internet & American Life Project among 2,252 adults.

Public Remains of Two Minds on Energy Policy Monday, June 14, 2010
With the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico now nearly two months old, the public is sending mixed signals about U.S. energy policy. Despite the growing damage from the Gulf oil leak, the public generally favors continuing to drill for oil and gas in U.S. waters. And in setting priorities for energy legislation in Congress, fully 68% favor expanding exploration and development of coal, oil and gas in the United States.

Doubts About Obama's Economic Policies Rise Monday, June 07, 2010
According to a new survey, the public increasingly sees Barack Obama’s policies as having an impact on economic conditions and, for the first time, slightly more say the impact has been negative rather than positive. About three-in-ten (29%) say Obama’s economic policies since taking office have made economic conditions worse; 23% say his policies have made conditions better. Nearly four-in-ten (38%) say they have had no effect so far or volunteer that it is too soon to tell.

Willingness to Compromise a Plus in Midterms Monday, May 24, 2010
The public offers more positive than negative reactions to a candidate who is willing to make compromises. A substantial minority (42%) say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who will make compromises with people they disagree with; only about half as many (22%) say they would be less likely to back a candidate willing to compromise, while 29% say it will make no difference. But there is a wide partisan divide. More than twice as many Republicans (40%) as Democrats (19%) or independents (15%) say they would be less willing to favor a candidate willing to compromise.

Health Tracking — May 2010 Friday, May 21, 2010
Confusion over the new health reform law declined but remains widespread, with 44 percent of the public saying they were confused in May, compared to 55 percent in April. Moreover, more than a third of Americans (35%) say they do not understand what the impact of the law will be on themselves and their families, while 61 percent report feeling they do understand what that impact will be.

Public's Priorities for Congress Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The public views tougher regulations on financial institutions as an important priority for Congress, but far more want Congress to take action on the job situation and energy policy. In thinking about financial regulation, as many say they worry that the government will go too far in regulating financial markets, making it harder for the economy to grow, as say they worry that the government will not go far enough, leaving the country at risk of another financial crisis.

Broad Approval For New Arizona Immigration Law Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The public broadly supports a new Arizona law aimed at dealing with illegal immigration and the law’s provisions giving police increased powers to stop and detain people who are suspected of being in the country illegally.

Oil Spill Seen As Ecological Disaster Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A majority of Americans see the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico as a major environmental disaster, but nearly as many voice optimism that efforts to control the spill will succeed.

Pessimistic Public Doubts Effectiveness of Stimulus Wednesday, April 28, 2010
The public remains doggedly downbeat about the condition of the national economy, even as many experts and economists see signs of recovery. As has been the case for most of the past two years, about nine-in-ten (88%) rate national economic conditions as only fair or poor, and over the past year there has been no decline in the percentage saying the economy will stay the same (36%) or get worse (19%) a year from now.

Health Tracking - April 2010 Thursday, April 22, 2010
A new poll fielded shortly after the passage of health reform finds that 8 in 10 Americans know that President Obama signed the legislation into law. But 55 percent say they are confused about the law and more than half (56%) say they don’t yet have enough information to understand how it will affect them personally.

Distrust, Discontent and the Government Monday, April 19, 2010
By almost every conceivable measure Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days. A new Pew Research Center survey finds a perfect storm of conditions associated with distrust of government – a dismal economy, an unhappy public, bitter partisan-based backlash, and epic discontent with Congress and elected officials.

Broadband Consumer Survey Friday, March 19, 2010
According to the Federal Communications Commission’s October-November 2009 survey, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of American adults use high-speed Internet connections to go online from home. This survey was conducted October 19 to November 23, 2009 by PSRAI for the Federal Communications Commission among 5,005 adults.

Health Tracking - March 2010 Friday, March 19, 2010
Americans are still divided on health reform legislation, with 46 percent backing the reform proposals on Capitol Hill, 42 percent opposing them and 12 percent saying they aren''t sure. Six in 10 Americans say they have heard little or nothing about budget reconciliation. And many people continue to struggle with health costs, with nearly one in five saying cost increases have caused them or their employer to switch to a less comprehensive health plan.

Americans Split on Health Care Reform Legislation Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A new poll finds Americans are evenly split on health care reform legislation: 43 percent in favor and 43 percent opposed. However, the poll also finds that majorities of Republicans, Democrats and independents support several provisions in the health reform proposals in Congress and most attribute delays in passing the legislation to political gamesmanship rather than policy disagreements.

Newsweek Poll: Obama and Health Care Friday, February 19, 2010
Health care reform has lost a lot of momentum since the House and Senate passed their versions of reform legislation, and most recent polling has shown public support waning. The latest Newsweek poll, however, suggests that there is greater public support for some sort of House/Senate compromise bill than polls that do not scratch below the surface might indicate. The level of public support for the kind of plan supported by Barack Obama varies based on how much people know about it. After hearing its key features described many people initially inclined to view it negatively move into the favorable column.

Midterm Election Challenges for Both Parties Friday, February 12, 2010
According to a new survey, nine months ahead of the midterm elections, voters have conflicted attitudes about both political parties. Opinions of the Republican Party have improved significantly, and for the first time in years the GOP’s favorable ratings nearly equal the Democratic Party’s. Voting intentions for the fall elections also remain closely divided. However, the Democratic Party is still better regarded in many respects than is the GOP and far more people continue to blame the Republicans than the Democrats for the current state of the economy. And despite frustrations with his stewardship of the economy, bottom-line opinions of Barack Obama have not changed in the past few months. This survey was conducted Feb. 3-9, 2010 by PSRAI for the Pew Research Center among 1,383 adults.

Americans Become More Supportive of Health Reform When Told About Key Provisions Friday, January 22, 2010
A new poll, conducted before the Massachusetts Senate vote, finds opinion is divided when it comes to the hotly debated legislation, with 42 percent supporting the proposals in the Congress, 41 percent opposing them and 16 percent withholding judgment. However, majorities reported feeling more favorable toward the proposed legislation after learning about many of the key elements, with the notable exceptions of the individual mandate and the overall price tag. Click the above link to get more details.

Haiti Dominates Public's Consciousness Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Fully 70% say it is the story they are talking about with friends. Overall interest in news about the earthquake in Haiti is on par with interest in the tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean in December 2004. Fully 60% say they followed news about the earthquake very closely; about the same percentage (58%) said they followed news about the tsunami in the Indian Ocean very closely in January 2005. Somewhat more people paid very close attention to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (70%). Click the link above to get more details.

Blacks Upbeat about Black Progress, Prospects Thursday, January 14, 2010
Despite the bad economy, blacks'' assessments about the state of black progress in America have improved more dramatically during the past two years than at any time in the past quarter century, according to a comprehensive new nationwide Pew Research Center survey on race. Barack Obama''s election as the nation''s first black president appears to be the spur for this sharp rise in optimism among African Americans. It may also be reflected in an upbeat set of black views on a range of other matters, including race relations, local community satisfaction and expectations for future black progress. This survey was conducted Oct. 28 to Nov. 30, 2009 by PSRAI for the Pew Research Center among 2,884 adults, including 812 blacks.

Current Decade Rates as Worst in 50 Years Monday, December 21, 2009
According to a new survey, as the current decade draws to a close, relatively few Americans have positive things to say about it. By roughly two-to-one, more say they have a generally negative (50%) rather than a generally positive (27%) impression of the past 10 years. This stands in stark contrast to the public’s recollection of other decades in the past half-century. When asked to look back on the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, positive feelings outweigh negative in all cases. This survey was conducted December 9-13, 2009 by PSRAI for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press among 1,504 adults.

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll - December 2009 Friday, December 18, 2009
A new survey finds a dip on several measures of public opinion on health care reform. The number of Americans who say they personally will be better off if reform passes fell to 35 percent in December, down from 42 percent last month. Meanwhile, 27 percent say they will be worse off, and 32 percent said they don’t expect to see much of a difference. Similarly, 45 percent say the country would be better off if health care reform passes down from 54 percent in November. This compares to 31 percent who say the country will be worse off and 17 percent who see no impact.

Mixed Views of Obama at Year's End Wednesday, December 16, 2009
According to a new survey, public opinion about President Barack Obama and his major polices continues to be divided as the year comes to a close. His overall approval rating is 49%, which is largely unchanged from November (51%). However, the percentage expressing at least a fair amount of confidence in Obama to do the right thing when it comes to fixing the economy has slipped from 59% in October to 52% currently. Smaller percentages express confidence in Obama on health care reform (44%) and reducing the budget deficit (41%). This survey was conducted Dec. 9-13 by PSRAI for the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press among 1,504 adults.

Teens and Sexting Tuesday, December 15, 2009
According to a new survey, as texting has become a centerpiece in teen social life, parents, educators and advocates have grown increasingly concerned about the role of cell phones in the sexual lives of teens and young adults. The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project found that 4% of cell-owning teens ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text messaging, a practice also known as “sexting”; 15% say they have received such images of someone they know via text message. This survey was conducted June 26 and September 24, 2009 by PSRAI for the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project among 800 teens ages 12-17 and a parent or guardian

America's Place in the World Thursday, December 03, 2009
As President Obama seeks to expand America’s global role on issues ranging from Afghanistan to climate change, the U.S. public is turning decidedly inward. For the first time in more than 40 years of polling, a plurality (49%) says the United States should “mind its own business internationally” and let other countries get along the best they can on their own.

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