Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Political Issues

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    Iraq Prison Scandal Hits Home, But Most Reject Troop Pullout

    Summary of Findings Public satisfaction with national conditions has fallen to 33%, its lowest level in eight years, in the wake of revelations of prisoner abuse committed by U.S. soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. President Bush’s overall job approval rating also has dropped into negative territory: 44% approve of his job performance, while […]

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    Bush Ratings Rise Even as Iraq Concerns Continue

    Summary of Findings President Bush’s approval ratings have improved over the month of April even as Americans continue to express strong concerns about Iraq and the way the president is handling that situation. The latest nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center finds 48% approving and 43% disapproving of Bush’s overall job performance. This is […]

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    Abortion a More Powerful Issue for Women

    Public divisions over access to abortion are long-standing, and have changed only slightly over the past two decades. Currently, 58% say they oppose making it more difficult for a woman to get an abortion, while 36% are in favor of further restrictions. This is virtually unchanged from polling conducted in the early 1990s. In 1987, […]

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    The Veil Controversy: International Perspectives on Religion in Public Life

    3:30-5:30 p.m. Washington, D.C. Speakers: E.J. Dionne, Co-Chair, the Pew Forum, and Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution Raja Elhabti, Director of Research, Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights Husain Haqqani, Visiting Scholar, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Justin Vaisse, Affiliated Scholar, Brookings Center on the U.S. and Europe E.J. DIONNE, JR.: It’s great to […]

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    Public Support for War is Steady, But Bush Job Ratings Slip

    Summary of Findings Public support for war in Iraq has been unaffected by the murders and desecration of the corpses of American citizens in Falluja. However, continued turmoil and violence in Iraq may be taking a toll on President Bush’s approval ratings. More Americans now disapprove of the way he is doing his job than […]