Political Issues

When the planes struck New York and Washington 5 years ago today, they altered the course of the news people get as well. According to new numbers from ADT Research, viewers of network evening newscasts have gotten a beefed up diet of war and terror since then while seeing big decreases in coverage of domestic issues, from crime to technology.

Summary of Findings Five years later, Americans’ views of the impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have changed little, but opinions about how best to protect against future attacks have shifted substantially. In particular, far more Americans say reducing America’s overseas military presence, rather than expanding it, will have a greater effect in reducing […]

A pair of psychologists devised an experiment to see if they could improve women's test scores in math by triggering positive self-images.

Find out why it might make sense to put health warnings on self-improvement ads. And learn what happens to companies whose CEO's are narcissists.

That's the number of states -- Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana and South Dakota -- that have so-called trigger laws waiting on the books to make abortion illegal as soon as federal policy permits. Three others have adopted policy statements opposing abortion.

Bethesda, Maryland A native of Pakistan who served as his country’s high commissioner to Great Britain, Akbar Ahmed offers the unique perspective of an anthropologist who has lived in and studied both Islamic and Western cultures. The BBC has described him as “the world’s leading authority on contemporary Islam.” He is the principal investigator for […]

Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts A reviewer of political scientist Samuel P. Huntington’s first book compared him unfavorably to Mussolini. A reviewer of his 19th and latest book dubbed him “Patrick Buchanan with footnotes.” But those reactions were mild compared with the controversy over the international political paradigm advanced in Huntington’s most influential book, The Clash of […]

Summary of Findings The public is paying a great deal of attention to major overseas events – the reported terrorist plot against U.S. trans-Atlantic jet liners, the war in Lebanon, as well as the ongoing violence in Iraq. However, there is little indication that these dramatic stories have materially changed public attitudes. Worries about another […]

In recent years, the nation has debated the proper application, morality and constitutionality of the death penalty. In this Pew Forum event transcript, four legal experts candidly debate the death penalty.

Concerns Pre-Date Airplane Plot