Faith on the Hill
The new, 116th Congress includes the first two Muslim women ever to serve in the House of Representatives, and is, overall, slightly more religiously diverse than the prior Congress.
House Republicans who lost re-election bids were more moderate than those who won
Among GOP House incumbents who lost their re-election campaigns, 23 of 30 were more moderate than the median Republican in the chamber.
Millennials, Gen X increase their ranks in the House, especially among Democrats
The 2018 midterm elections significantly boosted the number of Millennials and Generation Xers in the lower chamber.
Public Expects Gridlock, Deeper Divisions With Changed Political Landscape
The public is generally positive about the outcome of last week’s midterm elections. Yet most Americans think that neither Democratic congressional leaders nor Donald Trump will be successful in getting their policies passed into law during the next two years.
In 2016, emergency laws restricted religious freedoms of Muslims more than other groups
In 2016, seven nations – Turkey, Brunei, Ethiopia, France, Hungary, Niger and Tunisia – directly used emergency laws to restrict religion, according to Pew Research Center’s latest annual religious restrictions study. While a number of different religious groups were targeted, these laws imposed restrictions on Muslims more than any other group.
Republicans and Democrats are optimistic about the future of their parties as midterms near
Three-quarters of Republicans say they are optimistic about the future of the Republican Party. Democrats have a similarly bright outlook for their party.
Recent Chinese dealings with faith groups reflect a pattern of government restrictions on religion
While the Chinese government asserts that it protects religious freedom, a series of annual Pew Research Center reports on religious restrictions around the globe have detailed government efforts aimed at maintaining strict control over religious beliefs and practices in the country. Two recent events have brought this into focus: China’s agreement with the Vatican on […]
After 17 years of war in Afghanistan, more say U.S. has failed than succeeded in achieving its goals
About half of U.S. adults say the country's mission in Afghanistan has mostly failed in achieving its goals, while about a third say it has mostly succeeded.
Most continue to say ensuring health care coverage is government’s responsibility
Six-in-ten Americans say it is the federal government’s responsibility to make sure all Americans have health care coverage. The share of Americans saying health care coverage is a government responsibility remains at its highest level in a decade.
Turnout in this year’s U.S. House primaries rose sharply, especially on the Democratic side
Turnout in this year's primaries for Congress and most state governorships surged compared with the last midterms in 2014, particularly among Democrats. Nearly a fifth (19.6%) of registered voters – about 37 million – cast ballots in primary elections for the U.S. House of Representatives – a 56% increase over the 23.7 million who voted in 2014's House primaries. Turnout that year was 13.7% of registered voters.
