Christopher Columbus is still generally regarded as the explorer who “discovered” America, and most Americans think the United States should remember him with a holiday. But they don’t rate Columbus Day, celebrated officially today, very high on the list of U.S. holidays.
Voters of all races nationwide continue to view relations between whites, blacks and Hispanics as a work in progress.
Very few Americans believe Amanda Knox is guilty of murdering her flatmate in Italy four years ago, and a plurality feels the media played an important part in overturning her conviction.
Flu season is upon us again, but less than half of Americans nationwide plan to get a flu shot this year. Over a quarter of adults say they are less likely to get one because of the mildness of last year’s season.
With less than a week to go before the end of the 2011 regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies are the odds-on favorite to win this year’s World Series.
Hurricane Irene didn’t hit the East Coast of the United States nearly as hard as was initially projected, but Americans give the government and the media generally good marks for not taking any chances.
Only a small percentage of Americans consider Labor Day one of the nation’s biggest holidays, and most celebrate it as the unofficial end of summer rather than a recognition of union workers.
Fewer adults took a summer vacation this year, and half of those that did had to cut back for economic reasons.
While Hurricane Irene did less damage than originally predicted, Americans nationwide still are concerned about the hurricane’s impact on the struggling U.S. economy.
Most Americans closely followed news about Hurricane Irene as it neared our shores and give good marks to the media coverage of threatening bad weather.
While most Americans say they are not overweight now, over half admit to dieting at one point in their life.
Earlier this month, a new study made headlines by suggesting that every hour spent watching television after age 25 will shorten a person’s lifespan by 22 minutes. While just over half of adults admit to watching TV every day or nearly everyday, they overwhelmingly believe that Americans in general watch the tube too much.
While most adults agree with President Obama that a world-class education is the most important factor in the success of America’s children and status in the world, most don’t think U.S. public schools provide that level of education.
After a contentious labor dispute between team owners and players that lasted more than 18 weeks, football is back. While the regular season doesn’t begin until September, the New England Patriots are the Super Bowl favorites heading into the 2011 season.
Americans overwhelmingly believe that the bigger problem with the welfare system in the United States is that there are too many overqualified recipients rather than not enough. Most also think legal immigrants should have to wait at least three years before being eligible for welfare benefits.
A recent survey based on several government studies finds that many of those the federal government says are living in poverty have a decent place to live, adequate food on the table and two color TVs, among other amenities, and most Americans don't regard that as being poor.
Government student loans are another area under the congressional budget-cutting microscope. Most voters favor their continuation for poor and middle-income students but are decidedly less enthusiastic about outright government grants for schooling that don’t need to be repaid.
Americans would rather see the U.S. Postal Service dramatically cut its workforce and reduce mail delivery to three or four days a week than have the government pour more money into the financially struggling agency.
There are currently 17 states that offer a “sales tax holiday” – a brief suspension of sales taxes – to encourage back-to-school shopping. Most Americans nationwide support this idea.
