Republicans, Democrats move further apart in views of voting access

Plus, 81% of Asian Americans say violence against them is rising April 24, 2021 Weekly Roundup The latest findings from Pew Research Center · Subscribe ↗ Republicans and Democrats move further apart in views of voting access Majorities of Americans favor several policies aimed at making it easier for citizens to register and vote, as well as requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification. Proposals that draw majority support from both Republicans and Democrats include requiring electronic voting machines to print paper ballots as backups and making early, in-person voting available for at least two weeks prior to Election Day. But there are sizable – and growing – partisan gaps on other proposals, largely because of changes in views among Republicans. Share of Republicans saying ‘everything possible’ should be done to make voting easy declines sharply Sign up for our monthly politics newsletter Amid a series of mass shootings in the U.S., gun policy remains deeply divisive While a few specific gun policy proposals garner bipartisan support, partisan divisions on others – and even on whether gun violence is a serious national problem – have widened over the last few years. Today, 81% of Democrats say gun laws should be stricter than they currently are, while 20% of Republicans say the same. From 2019: What the data says about gun deaths in the U.S. Many in Western Europe and U.S. want economic changes as pandemic continues The coronavirus outbreak has sparked a debate over how best to rebuild national economies ravaged by the pandemic. Across France, Germany, the UK and the U.S., significant shares believe their economic system either needs major changes or a complete overhaul. Support is also generally strong for a variety of potential economic interventions, including government-sponsored job training, building more public housing, increasing government benefits for the poor, raising taxes on the wealthy and providing a universal basic income. People in U.S., Western Europe differ over what needs more fixing: Their nation’s political or economic system See all of our coronavirus research One-third of Asian Americans fear threats, physical attacks; most say violence against them is rising Amid widespread reports of discrimination and violence against Asian Americans, 32% of Asian adults say they have feared someone might threaten or physically attack them and 81% say violence against them is increasing. Overall, 45% of Asian adults in the U.S. say they have experienced at least one of five specific offensive incidents since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. At the same time, 32% say someone has expressed support for them since the pandemic began. Register for our virtual event: Between the data: The unseen stories of Asian Americans Most Latinos say U.S. immigration system needs big changes Latinos broadly agree that the U.S. immigration system needs an overhaul, with large shares saying it requires major changes (53%) or needs to be completely rebuilt (29%). Only 17% say the immigration system needs no or only minor changes. At least three-quarters of Latinos in both political parties say the immigration system needs major changes or a total rebuild, though Democrats and Republicans prioritize different immigration policy goals. Key facts about U.S. immigration policies and Biden’s proposed changes Decoded: Examining how survey mode affects Americans’ views of international affairs Responses to survey questions asked online can differ from those asked on the phone. A new post on our methods blog, Decoded, examines the effects of conducting the U.S. component of our annual Global Attitudes Survey online instead of by phone. Methods 101 Video: How does the way a poll is conducted influence the answers people give? Most Americans support a $15 federal minimum wage Americans’ views of key foreign policy goals depend on their attitudes toward international cooperation From our research 36% The share of U.S. Latinos who say the federal government has been doing a good job with the increased number of children and families seeking asylum at the border. Support Pew Research Center In times of uncertainty, good decisions demand good data. Please support Pew Research Center with a contribution on the Center's behalf to our parent organization, The Pew Charitable Trusts. DONATE Newsletter preferences View in browser Unsubscribe Facebook Twitter Instagram Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank. As a neutral source of data and analysis, Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. © 2021 Pew Research Center