One-Third Experience an Increase
Restrictions Rise on Religious Beliefs, Practices
9 August 11 More than 2.2 billion people – nearly a third (32%) of the world’s total population of 6.9 billion – live in countries where either government restrictions on religion or social hostilities involving religion rose substantially between mid-2006 and mid-2009.
Twenty-to-One
Wealth Gap Hits Record Between Whites, Minorities
26 July 11 The median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households, according to an analysis of newly available government data from 2009. The bursting of the housing market bubble in 2006 and the recession that followed from late 2007 to mid-2009 took a far greater toll on the wealth of minorities than whites.
Tensions Persist Between Muslim and Western Publics
21 July 11 Muslim and Western publics continue to see relations between them as generally bad, but there has been somewhat of a thaw in the views of the U.S. and Europe about the Muslim world.
Women Lose Jobs; Men Find Them
The New Gender Gap
In the Economic Recovery
6 July 11 During the two-year recovery from the recession, men have gained 768,000 jobs while women have lost 218,000 jobs. This new gender gap in employment trends represents a sharp turnabout from the recession itself, when men lost more than twice as many jobs as women.
Beyond Red vs. Blue:
The 2011 Political Typology
4 May 11 A new in-depth analysis of the political landscape, constructed by sorting Americans into cohesive groups, finds attitudes more doctrinaire at both ends of the ideological spectrum even as the center of the spectrum is increasingly diverse.
Quiz: Where do you fit in the typology?
Video: Michael Dimock summarizes the report.
Interactive: Explore the groups and issues.
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.
Upbeat Brazil
President Obama made his first Latin America stop in a country where self-confidence and hope runs high.
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.
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.
Most Democrats Don't Want to See Obama Challenged for Nomination
10 August 11 Despite speculation that the Democratic base has become increasingly disillusioned with Barack Obama, nearly six in ten Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say they would not like to see other Democrats to take on Obama for the nomination.
Views of Tea Party Supporters
In Congress Grow More Negative
9 August 11 More Americans now think that members of Congress who support the Tea Party are having a negative effect than said that in January, at the start of the new Congress.
Email, Search Still Top Most Popular Online Activities
9 August 11 As they have done for nearly a decade, email and search form the core of online communication and online information gathering, respectively, even as new platforms, broadband and mobile devices continue to reshape the way Americans use the internet.
Public Sees Budget Negotiations as "Ridiculous", "Disgusting", "Stupid"
1 August 11 From liberal Democrats to Tea Party Republicans, there is broad public consensus that the budget negotiations of recent weeks can be summed up in words such as ridiculous, disgusting, stupid, and frustrating. Nationwide, 72% describe the recent negotiations in negative terms.
Wealth Gaps and Perception Gaps:
A Paradox of the Great Recession
29 July 11 When the real estate market melted down, those hit hardest by the sharp drop in household wealth were blacks and Hispanics. But even while their wealth was eroding, the nation’s minorities were moving ahead of whites in their ratings of the national economy.
Obama Loses Ground to Republicans
In His 2012 Bid for Reelection
28 July 11 The sizeable lead Barack Obama held over a generic Republican opponent in May has vanished. In the GOP nomination race, Mitt Romney still leads, but Rick Perry is getting strong interest from the most engaged Republicans and Michele Bachmann is the candidate Republicans have heard most about recently.
Public Wants a Compromise on Debt Ceiling,
Predicts a Deal Will Be Made
26 July 11 The public overwhelmingly favors a compromise in the debt ceiling standoff, with 68% saying they want lawmakers to reach a deal even if they disagree with it. A majority of Republicans who identify with the tea party say their representatives should stick to their principles.
71% of Online Adults Now Use Video-Sharing Sites
26 July 11 Rural internet users are now just as likely as users in urban and suburban areas to have used video-sharing sites, and online African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely than internet-using whites to visit video-sharing sites.
GOP Makes Big Gains Among White Voters
22 July 11 The electorate's partisan affiliations have shifted significantly since Obama won office in 2008. Notably, the GOP gains have occurred only among white voters, and especially among the young and poor.
Non-Profit News: Assessing a New Landscape in Journalism
18 July 11 Institutions and funders have been moving to fill the gap being left by shrinking newsrooms by backing non-profit news sites. Roughly half of these sites produce news that is clearly ideological in nature.
The Mexican-American Boom: Births Overtake Immigration
14 July 11 Births have overtaken immigration as the main driver of the dynamic growth in the U.S. Hispanic population, especially among the largest of all Hispanic groups -- Mexican-Americans.
35% of American Adults Own a Smartphone
11 July 11 Smartphones have captured a significant share of the cellphone market in the U.S. and many now use them to access the Internet and their email.
Public Wants Changes in Entitlements, Not Changes in Benefits
7 July 11 The public sees the need for changes to improve the performance and finances of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid but does not support reductions in benefits. Republicans have divisions in their ranks.
Majority Sees U.S. Space Leadership as Essential
5 July 11 Nearly six-in-ten say it is essential that the U.S. continue to be a world leader in space exploration and a majority say the shuttle program has been a good investment for the country.
Is GOP Ready for a Mormon President?
5 July 11 An important group within the Republican base, white evangelical Protestants, is more uncomfortable with the idea of a Mormon candidate than are other Republicans.
Government Still Faulted Over Care for Veterans
29 June 11 Four years after revelations about military medical care at Walter Reed Hospital, most Americans continue to say that government support for troops returning from war falls short. Financial and mental health issues are the top concerns.
E-Reader Ownership Climbs Into Double-Digits Range
27 June 11 The share of U.S. adults who own an e-book reader -- such as Kindle or Nook -- doubled to 12% from November 2010 to May 2011. Tablet adoption has grown more slowly.
The Economics of Cohabitation
27 June 11 The prevalence of unmarried couples living together has risen sharply since the mid-1990s. Yet while adults with less education are twice as likely to cohabit as the college-educated, analysis suggests that the less-educated receive fewer economic benefits from it.
Global Survey: Evangelical Protestant Leaders
22 June 11 A detailed portrait of the beliefs and practices of evangelical leaders in various countries, finds broad consensus on some core theological matters, such as that Christianity is the "one, true faith," but also divisions on issues such as a literal reading of the Bible.
U.S. Image in Pakistan Falls No Further
Following bin Laden Killing
21 June 11 Most Pakistanis see the U.S. as an enemy, consider it a potential military threat and oppose U.S.-led anti-terrorism efforts. A majority also describes bin Laden's death as a bad thing and many say it will have a negative impact on the already strained relations between the U.S. and their country.
Ideological Chasm Over Interpreting Constitution
20 June 11 Half say the Court's rulings should be based on its understanding of what the Constitution means in current times, while about as many say rulings should be based on its understanding of what the Constitution meant as originally written.
In Shift from Bush Era, Conservatives Now Say "Come Home, America"
16 June 11 Partisan differences in opinions about America's role in the world have blurred. Still, Republicans remain the most supportive of the war in Afghanistan.
A Tale of Two Fathers
15 June 11 In the last 50 years, fathers have become far more involved in the day-to-day lives of children they live with. During that time, though, the share of fathers living apart from their children has risen dramatically.
New Media: Social Media Users Blast Debt Deal
11 August 11 The deal to raise the debt ceiling in Washington drew harsh criticism from both the left and the right last week as the subject received significant attention on blogs, Twitter and YouTube.
News Interest: Economic News "Mostly Bad"
10 August 11 About two-thirds of Americans say they are hearing mostly "bad news" about the economy, driving that number to its highest level in more than two years.
News Coverage: Economic Coverage Turns Grim
8 August 11 The much disdained debt ceiling deal, followed by a barrage of ominous news from Wall Street and a top credit rating agency, drove coverage of the economy to its second highest level in 2011.The tone was overwhelmingly negative.
Updated 12 August 2011 Pew Research staff answers readers' queries. Recent questions: What do I need to know in comparing an 'all adults' to a 'registered voters' poll? Isn't labeling people 'liberal,' 'moderate' or 'conservative' simplistic? How many U.S. residents were missed in the census?
Email info@pewresearch.org.
Family Trends Test
Compare your views on the changing structure of U.S. families with those of Americans generally. Are you an Accepter? Skeptic? Rejecter? on pewsocialtrends.org
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. on pewforum.org
Test Your News IQ
Take our latest quiz about prominent people and major events in the news. Then see how you did in comparison with 1,000 randomly sampled adults.
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.
The Media Tech Quiz
Test your knowledge of how the media cover technology. Which companies get the most press? What tech topics are trending on Twitter? on journalism.org
Check Your Science IQ
Take a 12-item quiz, a mix of contemporary knowledge and text-book style questions, to find out.
How Does Your Community Stack Up?
Rate your community as a place to live, then compare your responses to those from our national survey. on pewsocialtrends.org
Internet Typology: 
R U Mobile?
Users of communication technology range from "Digital Collaborators" and "Media Movers" to "Tech Indifferents" and "Off the Network." Take the quiz to find out which group you're in. on pewinternet.org
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. on pewsocialtrends.org
Visit Interactive for other features.
Beyond Red vs. Blue
Analyze the 8 politically engaged 2011 Typology groups--from Staunch Conservatives to Solid Liberals--to compare their characteristics and positions on major issues.
Tracking Family Trends
Explore five decades of economic and demographic change in the structure of American families with an interactive database.
on pewsocialtrends.org
Mapping Mosque Controversies
An interactive map shows the locations -- with click-through details -- of 35 proposed mosques and Islamic centers that have encountered community resistance in the last two years. on pewforum.org
How Religious Is Your State?
Which of the 50 states has the most religious population? See how your state ranks on importance of religion in people's lives, attendance at worship services, frequency of prayer and certainty of belief in God. on pewforum.org
Marriage & Divorce: A 50-State Tour
Explore state-by-state marriage, divorce and remarriage patterns across the country to see how your state measures up. on pewsocialtrends.org
Who Owns the Media?
An interactive database of firms that own news properties in the U.S. lets you explore each media sector. Also, Year in the News answers questions about media coverage in 2010.
on journalism.org
Mapping Muslims Globally
Interactive maps show the size and distribution of the 1.57 billion worldwide Muslim population. on pewforum.org
Pew Global Attitudes Project
Key Indicators Database
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. on pewglobal.org
Latinos by Geography
Interactive maps and data bases provide details about the changing Latino population in each of the nation's 50 states and 3,141 counties. on pewhispanic.org
U.S. Religious Landscape Survey
An extensive survey details the religious makeup, beliefs and practices of the American public. This online feature includes maps, graphs and charts. on pewforum.org