Politics & Policy

At least 110 representatives and senators in the current 117th Congress have publicly stated or otherwise confirmed that they own a gun.

While the economy remains the dominant issue in this fall’s midterm elections, the issue of abortion has increased markedly in importance. More voters continue to view their midterm vote as an expression of opposition to Joe Biden than support for him. But across both parties, more voters now say Biden is not much of a factor in their vote.

India’s artificially wide ratio of baby boys to baby girls – which arose in the 1970s from the use of prenatal diagnostic technology to facilitate sex-selective abortions – now appears to be narrowing. Son bias has declined sharply among Sikhs, while Christians continue to have a natural balance of sons and daughters.

We asked respondents to describe in their own words what rose and fell in importance to them during the pandemic. Here are some of the key themes that emerged.

Here’s how people in the U.S. and elsewhere have viewed the troop evacuation and its aftermath, and their broader attitudes about the war.

32% of Republicans say they like a political leader who has no previous government experience, compared with just 10% of Democrats.

Overall, around four-in-ten Americans say their local community has experienced severe weather in the past year, a May survey found.

A median of 68% across 19 countries think their country has done a good job dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, with majorities saying this in every country surveyed except Japan. However, most also believe the pandemic has created greater divisions in their societies and exposed weaknesses in their political systems – and these view are especially common in the U.S.

Increasingly, Republicans and Democrats view not just the opposing party but also the people in that party in a negative light. Growing shares in each party now describe those in the other party as more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans. Nearly half of younger adults say they "wish there were more parties to choose from."

Viktor Orban, who’s set to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas, receives generally positive ratings from Hungarians.