Sharp divisions on vote counts, as Biden gets high marks for his post-election conduct

More than two weeks after the presidential election, there are sharp divisions between those who supported Joe Biden and Donald Trump over nearly all aspects of the election and voting process. The vast majority of Biden voters (94%) say elections in the U.S. were run and administered well, compared with just 21% of Trump voters. The two sides are also far apart on how to address a surge in COVID-19 cases, though majorities in both groups agree more aid is needed.

• Most voters are ‘fearful’ and ‘angry’ about the state of the U.S., but a majority now are ‘hopeful,’ too

Majorities in the European Union have favorable views of the bloc

In a summer survey – before a dramatic rise in coronavirus cases – people in several European Union nations approved not only of their national governments’ response to COVID-19, but also of how the EU had handled the outbreak. A median of 66% of adults across eight EU member nations rated the organization favorably, with younger people and those on the ideological left tending to hold more positive views.

• Europeans approved of EU’s handling of COVID-19 this summer – but much has changed since

The Trump era has seen a decline in America’s global reputation

In international surveys over the past few years, President Donald Trump has generally received lower ratings than either of his two predecessors, with relatively few people approving of his handling of international affairs. Trump’s unpopularity has had a significant negative effect on America’s overall image. Ratings for the U.S. plummeted after he took office in 2017, and they have declined further over the past year, at least in part due to the widespread perception that the U.S. has handled the coronavirus pandemic poorly.

• U.S. image plummets internationally as most say country has handled coronavirus badly

5 facts about the QAnon conspiracy theories

Americans’ awareness of the conspiracy theories called QAnon increased dramatically from early to late 2020. Between February and September, knowledge of QAnon grew on both sides of the political aisle, though Democrats’ awareness continues to outpace that of Republicans. Among those who have heard of the conspiracy theories, 57% say QAnon is a “very bad” thing for the country.

What the data says (and doesn’t say) about crime in the United States

From the first day of his presidency to his campaign for reelection, Donald Trump has sounded the alarm about crime in the United States. As Trump’s presidency draws to a close, here is a look at what we know – and don’t know – about crime in the U.S., based on data from the federal government and other sources.

From our research