Pew Research Center's Blog, page 14

The art and science of the scatterplot

This type of chart is growing more popular, but just half of those with a high school education or less correctly interpreted one in our science quiz.

Polls show Republicans in a restive mood

Even before Donald Trump and Ben Carson surged past more traditional GOP presidential candidates in the polls, Republicans were feeling restive about their party and its leaders.

Health Care, Education Are Top Priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa

People in sub-Saharan Africa are optimistic about their future, but they also recognize that their countries face tremendous challenges — identifying health care and education as top concerns.

Key findings about Africans’ views on economy, challenges

Sub-Saharan Africans are feeling positive about their current and long-term economic prospects compared with those in other regions of the world. However, they still see the need for more foreign aid and are concerned about the serious challenges facing them, especially when it comes to better health care and jobs.

Libraries at the Crossroads

Americans believe libraries are important community institutions and profess interest in libraries offering a range of new program possibilities. Yet, even as the public expresses interest in additional library services, there are signs that the share of Americans visiting libraries has edged downward over the past three years.

The race gap in science knowledge

When asked a series of 12 science-related questions, whites, on average, fared better than blacks or Hispanics. What's behind this knowledge gap?

Foreign-Born Share Falls for 14 Major U.S. Hispanic Groups

The U.S. Hispanic population has long been characterized by its immigrant roots. But as immigration from Latin America slows, the immigrant share among each of the nation’s largest Hispanic origin groups is in decline.

Half of U.S. adults raised Catholic have left the church at some point

Some older American Catholics might remember a time when people thought of the Catholic Church like a family: hard to ignore and even harder to leave. But a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Catholics shows that at least some of these perceptions may no longer be entirely true.

A closer look at Catholic America

The face of Catholic America is changing. Today, immigrants make up a considerable share of Catholics, and many are Hispanic. At the same time, there has been a regional shift, from the Northeast (long home to a large percentage of the Catholic faithful) and Midwest to the Western and Southern parts of the U.S.

Does water’s boiling point change with altitude? Americans aren’t sure

Only 34% of Americans correctly answered a question about the difference (if any) between boiling water in Los Angeles and Denver. So what's the right answer, and why?