Partisan Shifts in Views of the Nation, but Overall Opinions Remain Negative
Republicans have become far more upbeat about the country and its future since before Donald Trump’s election victory. By contrast, Democrats have become much less positive.
From Brexit to Zika: What Do Americans Know?
Survey Report Before you read the report, test your own News IQ by taking the interactive knowledge quiz. The short quiz tests your knowledge of questions recently asked in a national poll. After completing the quiz, you can compare your score with the general public and with people like yourself. Take the Quiz The latest […]
Since Trump’s Election, Increased Attention to Politics – Especially Among Women
Following an election that had one of the largest gender gaps in history, women are more likely than men to say they are paying increased attention to politics.
Sharp Partisan Divisions in Views of National Institutions
Republicans and Democrats offer starkly different assessments of the impact of several of the nation’s leading institutions – including the news media, colleges and universities and churches and religious organizations.
Public Supports Aim of Making It ‘Easy’ for All Citizens to Vote
As states around the country debate laws regarding access to the ballot – ranging from automatic voter registration to voter ID requirements – most Americans back making it easy for all citizens to vote. But they overwhelmingly reject the idea of requiring people to vote.
Support for Same-Sex Marriage Grows, Even Among Groups That Had Been Skeptical
Two years after the Supreme Court decision that required states to recognize same-sex marriages nationwide, support for allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally is at its highest point in over 20 years of Pew Research Center polling on the issue.
Public Views About Guns
Explore 20 years of data on public opinion about gun control vs. gun rights.
Public Has Criticisms of Both Parties, but Democrats Lead on Empathy for Middle Class
Both political parties’ favorability ratings are more negative than positive and fewer than half say either party has high ethical standards.
Partisan Identification Is ‘Sticky,’ but About 10% Switched Parties Over the Past Year
Survey Report Those who study politics have long known that a person’s party affiliation is a strong predictor of how they will vote and what their opinions will be on most political issues. Some of the power of partisanship comes from its relative immutability: Most people remain loyal to a political party. But over a […]
Public Trust in Government Remains Near Historic Lows as Partisan Attitudes Shift
Changes in the dynamics of power in Washington have registered with members of both political parties.
Public Trust in Government: 1958-2017
Public trust in the government remains near historic lows. Only 20% of Americans today say they can trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (4%) or “most of the time” (16%). When the National Election Study began asking about trust in government in 1958, about three-quarters of Americans trusted […]
How Republicans and Democrats View Federal Spending
If you were making up the budget for the federal government this year, would you increase spending, decrease spending or keep spending the same for … See related report: “With Budget Debate Looming, Growing Share of Public Prefers Bigger Government”
With Budget Debate Looming, Growing Share of Public Prefers Bigger Government
Survey Report As Congress faces an April 28 deadline to fund government operations, the public is now split in their general preferences on the size and scope of government: 48% say they would rather have a bigger government providing more services, while 45% prefer a smaller government providing fewer services. This marks the first time […]
Public Dissatisfaction With Washington Weighs on the GOP
While the party retains its advantage over the Democrats on handling terrorism, it has lost ground on immigration and foreign policy, and 68% of the public sees the Republican Party as “mostly divided.”
Top Frustrations With Tax System: Sense That Corporations, Wealthy Don’t Pay Fair Share
A majority of Americans now view the federal tax system as unfair, including similar shares of Republicans and Democrats. But partisans differ in their concerns about the tax system.
Public Supports Syria Missile Strikes, but Few See a ‘Clear Plan’ for Addressing Situation
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are about three times as likely as Republicans and Republican leaners to say the U.S. has a responsibility to accept refugees from Syria.
Large Majorities See Checks and Balances, Right to Protest as Essential for Democracy
Large majorities of the public, Republicans and Democrats alike, say open and fair elections and a system of governmental checks and balances are essential to maintaining a strong democracy in the United States.
Partisan Conflict and Congressional Outreach
A new analysis of more than 200,000 press releases and Facebook posts from the official accounts of members of the 114th Congress uses methods from the emerging field of computational social science to quantify how often legislators themselves “go negative” in their outreach to the public.
In Trump Era, What Partisans Want From Their Congressional Leaders
Survey Report As President Trump prepares for his address next week to a joint session of Congress, Republicans say they are more inclined to trust the president, rather than GOP congressional leaders, if the two sides disagree. For their part, Democrats are far more concerned that congressional Democrats will not do enough, rather than go […]
In First Month, Views of Trump Are Already Strongly Felt, Deeply Polarized
Less than a month after Donald Trump took office, the public’s initial impressions of the new president are strongly felt, deeply polarized and far more negative than positive. The latest national survey by Pew Research Center, conducted Feb. 7-12 among 1,503 adults, finds that Trump’s overall job approval is much lower than those of prior […]
