Political Issues

Note: An updated version of this report is now available as Politics and the Pulpit: 2008. During every election cycle, many religious congregations find themselves wondering what role, if any, they can play in the political process. Can a minister, rabbi, imam or other member of the clergy endorse a candidate from the pulpit or […]

This speech describes the different ways Internet users find health information online, whether they count on crude tools like search engines or become sophisticated “farmers” of health information, using trusted bookmarks and sharing what they fi...

Summary of Findings Most Americans think that the United States is winning the war on terrorism, and a solid majority believes that Al Qaeda and related terrorist groups are weaker now than they were before the Sept. 11 attacks. In addition, somewhat more Americans believe the war in Iraq has helped the war on terrorism […]

Medical journal editors are grabbing headlines this week for demanding a registry of clinical trials, but in fact, they are just catching up to savvy e-patients who have been asking for the same thing for years.

Overview For the first time since the Vietnam era, foreign affairs and national security issues are looming larger than economic concerns in a presidential election. The Sept. 11 attacks and the two wars that followed not only have raised the stakes for voters as they consider their choice for president, but also have created deep […]

Despite Sen. John Kerry’s military background and his campaign’s concerted efforts to court veterans, he runs no better among this group than Al Gore did four years ago. Based on surveys conducted March, May, June and July, men who have served in the armed forces favor Bush over Kerry by a 49% to 40% margin. […]

Summary of Findings Sen. John Kerry enters the Democratic convention next week bolstered by a number of favorable trends in public opinion, although he remains locked in a statistical tie for voter support with President George W. Bush. His party is dominant on key domestic issues and at least competitive with the Republicans on every […]

10:30am-Noon Washington, D.C. Speakers: Congressman David Price (D-NC) Congressman Mark Souder (R-IN) David Brooks, columnist, The New York Times; Contributing Editor, Newsweek E.J. Dionne, Jr., Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution; columnist, Washington Post Writers Group Moderator: Luis Lugo, Director, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life LUIS LUGO: Good morning, and thank you all […]

Summary of Findings The public broadly approves of the performance of the 9/11 commission in investigating the events that led to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. By more than two-to-one (61%- 24%), Americans approve of the job being done by the commission, which is expected to release its final […]