Majority of U.S. public says Trump’s approach on Iran has raised chances of a major conflict

By a narrow 48% to 43% margin, Americans view the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani as the right decision. However, a majority (54%) says the Trump administration’s approach toward Iran has increased the likelihood of a major military conflict between the two countries.

• Few Americans have great deal of trust in what Trump administration says about the situation in Iran

Renewable energy is growing fast in the U.S., but fossil fuels still dominate

Despite rapid growth in the U.S. over the past decade, solar and wind power accounted for less than 4% of all energy used in 2018. Historically, most of the nation’s energy has come from coal, oil and natural gas. In 2018, those fossil fuels fed about 80% of the country’s energy demand.

• U.S. public views on climate and energy

Many churchgoers in U.S. don’t know the political leanings of their clergy

Among U.S. adults who attend religious services at least a few times a year, 45% say they’re not sure whether their clergy are Democrats or Republicans, and roughly a quarter (27%) say their clergy are a mix of both. When congregants think they know their religious leaders’ political affiliation, 16% say their clergy are mostly Republicans, while 11% say they are mostly Democrats.

• Americans have positive views about religion’s role in society, but want it out of politics

Liberals make up the largest share of Democratic voters, but their growth has slowed in recent years

About half of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters (47%) describe their political views as liberal, including 15% who describe their views as very liberal. After rising steadily between 2000 and 2016, the share of liberals in the Democratic coalition has changed little in the past few years.

Latino Democratic voters place high importance on 2020 presidential election

A majority of Latino registered voters who are Democrats or Democratic leaners see the 2020 presidential election results as particularly important. More than half have a good or excellent impression of their party’s candidates, and 87% say it really matters who wins the White House.

From the archives: 50 years ago, mixed views about civil rights but support for Selma demonstrators

As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, we revisit a 2015 analysis by Andrew Kohut (1942-2015), the founding director of Pew Research Center, about U.S. attitudes toward civil rights and the bloody protest march that took place in Selma, Alabama, five decades earlier.

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