Political Issues

In the nearly two years since the 2016 presidential election, Americans’ views of the seriousness of several national problems have changed, with concerns about drug addiction, college affordability, sexism and racism on the rise.

The partisan divide that for years has defined public opinion about the nation’s gun policies remains firmly in place. Yet there continue to be several specific policy proposals that draw broad support from both Republicans and Democrats.

With less than four weeks until the midterm elections, Republican and Democratic voters differ widely in views of the seriousness of numerous problems facing the United States, including the fairness of the criminal justice system, climate change, economic inequality and illegal immigration. Majorities of registered voters who support Democratic candidates for Congress rate 13 of […]

Amid ongoing discussions about sexual harassment in the workplace and beyond, read five findings about how these issues have been discussed on Twitter and other social media outlets in the past year.

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 […]

Although most Americans back a higher minimum wage, wide disparities in local living costs make finding an appropriate rate difficult.

For a large majority of Americans, the country’s openness to people from around the world “is essential to who we are as a nation.” In a new Pew Research Center survey, 68% say America’s openness to foreigners is a defining characteristic of the nation, while just 26% say “if America is too open to people from all over the world, we risk losing our identity as a nation.”

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.

Supporters of Republican and Democratic candidates in the upcoming congressional election are deeply divided over the government’s role in ensuring health care, the fairness of the nation’s economic system and views of racial equality in the United States.

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.