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    How the Population Clock Works

    The population clock on the All Things Census page is derived using national-level data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which produces estimates of the country’s total resident population and the components that are the building blocks of  demographic change. Those components include births, deaths and net international migration, computed using data from the Census Bureau […]

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    67% Now Doubt Health Care Bill Will Pass This Year

    Summary of Findings Americans tracked the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti more closely than any other major news last week, but also kept a close watch on two intertwined stories: the fate of health care legislation in Washington and the outcome of last week’s special election for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Nearly half […]

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    Why the U.S. Census Does Not Ask about Religion

    The U.S. Census Bureau has not asked questions about religion since the 1950s, but the federal government did gather some information about religion for about a century before that.

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    It’s All About Jobs, Except When It’s Not

    A look at the connection between the rise and fall of joblessness and the political fortunes of past presidents in the modern era is instructive although the lessons to be drawn are far from crystal clear. Thus far, only Ronald Reagan’s ratings in his first term have borne as close a connection as have Obama’s to changes in the unemployment rate.

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    Conducting the 2010 Census

    Director of the U.S. Bureau of the Census Robert Groves discusses the operational flow of the 2010 Census, design features intended to increase participation, the bureau’s communications campaign, real-time monitoring/management, and evaluation of the quality of the census.

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    A Brief History of Religion and the U.S. Census

    Note: For a more recent overview of the Census Bureau’s history of asking about religion, read this April 2023 article. The U.S. Census Bureau has not asked questions about religion since the 1950s, but the federal government did gather some information about religion for about a century before that. Starting in 1850, census takers began […]

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    Racial Labeling in Survey Questions

    Over the past seven decades, America’s pollsters have used “colored,” “Negro,” “African American,” “Afro-American” and “black” in questions in national surveys.

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    Public’s Priorities for 2010: Economy, Jobs, Terrorism

    Summary of Findings As Barack Obama begins his second year in office, the public’s priorities for the president and Congress remain much as they were one year ago. Strengthening the nation’s economy and improving the job situation continue to top the list. And, in the wake of the failed Christmas Day terrorist attack on a […]

  • short reads

    Obama Paying Too Much Attention to the Banks

    A third of Americans say President Obama has been paying too much attention to banks and financial institutions – more than say so about any other group tested.

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    A Disaster and an Election Drive the News

    The media’s attention was divided between Port au Prince and Massachusetts last week, and the two stories highlighted significant differences in editorial priorities, particularly in the cable news universe. Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s one-year anniversary as President triggered a wave of evaluations that tended toward the bearish.