Federal Government

Americans view their state and local governments far more positively than the federal government in Washington.

Just 24% say the country’s problems could be better solved if presidents didn’t have to worry about Congress or the courts.

Americans overwhelmingly see small businesses as having a positive effect on the way things are going in the country. By contrast, their views of large corporations are broadly negative. And most people – including identical shares in both parties – are critical of the impact of banks and financial institutions.

Today, there are more than 18 million living veterans in the United States, representing about 6% of the country’s adult population.

Americans’ views of politics and elected officials are unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon. 65% of Americans say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics. By contrast, just 10% say they always or often feel hopeful about politics.

The food stamp program is one of the larger federal social welfare initiatives, and in its current form has been around for nearly six decades.

In 2022, only 290 of 71,954 defendants in federal criminal cases – about 0.4% – went to trial and were acquitted.

Americans view 14 of 16 federal agencies more favorably than unfavorably, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis.

Twenty years ago this month, the U.S. launched a major invasion of Iraq. President George W. Bush and his administration at first drew broad public support for the use of military force. Yet the campaign soon left Americans deeply divided, and by 2019, 62% said the Iraq War was not worth fighting.

The new House will have 80 members who’ve served in the military, or 18.4% of members. That’s up from 75, or 17.2%, in the 117th Congress.