Is there an issue we should be tracking that we're not?

Do you need more granularity on an issue?

Have you seen something on the Hill, in the press, or in public that might impact American attitudes or technolgies?

Let us know here or, if you prefer, by e-mail at send.a.pm.to.hayden@pew.org.

You mentioned that most people don't like the "gay lifestyle", but do you think you could tell us how they feel about gays in the military, since that was something Clinton worked hard on in the early '90s?

point of clarification...does Balanced Budget Act mean the same as Balanced Budget Amendment?

If that issue comes up, I'll have an "instant slider" for it.



Yes, I'll make that change.

We are also considering adding Unemployment, Urban Renewal, and Savings and Loan Regulation.

OK thanks.

What about the Min Wage?

I'd actually like to see one on urban renewal...my region doesn't quite have a monopoly on burnt-out cities, but it's close.

While we do have an idea of national opinion on hate crimes that cover race, what is the American public's current view on the state of racism in the country?

Minimum wage and racism . . . I'll consider adding those.

One thing I would like to see is some limited indications of issue salience. I'm not asking for "The issues are ranked in the following order of importance by the voters", but moving them into three or four broad bands (Very Important, Somewhat Important, Not Really Important, and Not At All Important) seems like a decent idea. Yes, I know there are regional variations (as with the issue views), but (for example) I know the issue of gay rights simply didn't register with a lot of people before the late 90s. Some of the international things also tend to register very weakly at times.

By the way, does Pew have a Usenet group?:-p

That is not a bad idea. Let me noodle with that.

How do people feel about unions?

Added unions, racism, unemployment, minimum wage, and a "importance" ranking.

The American people seem to uniformly of the opinion that Congressmen and Senators are generally corrupt or untrustworthy - but what proportion of the public believe their own Congressman and Senators are untrustworthy? (I'm only looking for generic figures for the country, not breakdowns by representative)

Can we get some polling on the issue of the Fair Tax? I'd like to see a general nationwide breakdown and, perhaps, by party as well. I can't seem to find any RL polling to serve as a guide.

I've been wondering about that as well.

Let me look in to that.

How do Americans feel about repealing the national speed limit? The national drinking age?

Already covered by a Pew Poll in October 2010. - Stephy

What's the general thought about the military. Do the people feel that the military should be cut down, increased, or stay the same?

I will include this in the next Pew Poll. - Stephy

What about the civil wars in Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda?

If you mean humanitarian intervention, refer to that particular issue. - Stephy

Did the recent elections shift opinions on any issues?

Yes. A new poll is about to be released now that the 1998 elections are complete. - Stephy

How do Americans feel about homosexuality in the military?

This is incorporated into the homosexual lifestyle question. As the gays in the military issue has been resolved, I don't plan to do specific polling on it at the moment. - Stephy

Can we please get an update?

Yes. very shortly. - Stephy

What has the city grant program done so far?

That's more of a news issue than a polling issue. If this was a regional measure, please speak to the regional admin. If it was a national measure, make a request in the CRS. - Stephy

To what extent are Americans aware of the threat of terrorism?

To what extent are Americans aware of the threat of weapons of mass destruction?

To what extent are Americans concerned about a civil war in Russia?

To what extent are Americans concerned about the safety of Russian nuclear weapons?

To what extent are Americans concerned about drug-related violence in Mexico?

To what extent do Americans support defending US freedom by projecting power abroad?

To what extent do Americans think that the Republican Party has failed to bolster American defenses?

To what extent do Americans think that the Democratic Party has succeeded in protecting Americans?

That's a lot of questions. I will include 3 as spot polling in the next Pew Poll. - Stephy

I'll try to incorporate some of these into the next poll, to be released after the 1998 elections. Doubtful I will be able to cover them all though.

What do Americans think about the current quality of the education system?

Please refer to the school reform issue. - Stephy

All requests made since Hayden's last update have been responded to above.

What us the current percentage of Americans who favor DOMA? I know you did a poll on the "gay lifestyle", but can you do something on DOMA specifically?

The next poll is being finalised at the moment. It's too late to add any new questions to it, so this will have to be addressed in the subsequent poll. - Stephy

How have the latest elections affected public opinion on NAFTA?

To be included in the post 1998 election poll, which will be released in the next day or two. - Stephy

What is the nation-wide opinion of Right to Work laws? And further adopting policies to allow local governments to adopt them as opposed to the federal government?

Going off of the labor stuff in the poll, two questions:

1. Do Americans support the re-legalization of the closed shop?

2. Do Americans support abolishing the right of states to implement Right to Work policies?

Who do the people think should decide abortion policy, the Federal Government, State government or local government?

Do Americans support the secret ballot for unionization as opposed to open card-check?

The total cost of Increase in Border Security Act of 2011.

How should we know? Try the Congressional Research Service.

OCC: Where would that be?

http://www.usgovsim.net/USG/index.php?showforum=173

Do Americans support my Made In USA policy?

National opinion on war on drugs- specifically marijuana.