Senior research staff answer questions from readers relating to all the areas covered by our seven projects, ranging from polling techniques and findings, to media, technology, religious, demographic and global attitudes trends.

The experience of the former Soviet Union's struggles to make the transition to a more open society holds an important lesson for the Middle East, a region in which the democratic tide still swells despite panicked opposition from some and the efforts of others to regulate its tempo.

There has been a modest increase over the past two years in the percentage of Americans who say there is solid evidence of global warming, although substantially fewer Americans say there is solid evidence of global warming than did so from 2006 to 2008.

Whether or not they have served, most Americans have family members who have been in the armed forces. But as the size of the military shrinks, those ties may be diminishing.

In an analysis in the New York Times, Pew Research Center president Andrew Kohut writes that the American public is beginning to take notice of the "Occupy movement." Polling this week finds a growing number of people paying attention to news about the movement.

Senior research staff answer questions from readers relating to all the areas covered by our seven projects, ranging from polling techniques and findings, to media, technology, religious, demographic and global attitudes trends.

Senior research staff answers questions from readers relating to all the areas covered by our seven projects ranging from polling techniques and findings, to media, technology, religious, demographic and global attitudes trends.

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.

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 being decimated, the political reaction among the nation's minorities has been surprisingly muted.

While the focus this year has been on the GOP's race, Democrats express about as much interest in 2012 candidates as do Republicans.