Publications

Summary of Findings Interest in the health care reform debate has remained extremely high throughout the summer and more than nine-in-ten Americans say the issue is important to them. Still, despite the public focus on health care news, two thirds continue to say the issue is hard to understand. With Congress returning from its August […]

Thanks to speculation about Barack Obama’s crucial September 9 speech, the health care debate was, once again, the week’s leading story.  But press attention more generally was split among a series of significant events, both at home and abroad.

Susannah Fox will be a special guest at Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase, a one-day event highlighting practical, cutting-edge efforts to build what Tim O'Reilly has called "government as a platform."

In April, 62% of the public approved of Barack Obama's performance as president, but in August, just four months later, 52% approved. Obama's approval rating has declined across nearly all major demographic and political groups.

Summary of Findings In a busy late summer news stretch, Americans continued to track news about the health care debate more closely than other major stories last week. The economy, the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and the strange case of a California woman rescued from long-time captors also vied for the public’s attention. […]

Roughly six-in-ten Americans say labor unions are necessary to protect working people, an all-time low in Pew Research surveys.

Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer. Both trends intensified with the recession and are expected to continue after the economy recovers. One reason: Older workers value not just a paycheck, but the psychological and social rewards.

Bloggers, even more so than the mainstream press, dedicated the week to the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy. Twitter users linked to Kennedy as well, but were more caught up in new legislation that could affect their online activities. And according to YouTube clicks, health care town halls still make for good viewing.

The American work force is graying -- and not just because the American population itself is graying. Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer.

Overview Americans are extremely displeased with Congress, and there are already some signs that this could take a toll on the Democrats in the 2010 midterm elections. Currently, 37% express a favorable opinion of Congress, while 52% hold an unfavorable view. Positive opinions of Congress have declined by 13 points since April and are now […]