The Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey conducted by Pew Research Center, a leading non-partisan fact tank, provides a comprehensive snapshot of global public opinion. The survey’s findings are underpinned by a rigorous methodological framework, combining data from telephone, face-to-face, and online interviews, executed by esteemed research partners Gallup, Langer Research Associates, and the Social Research Centre. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, results are derived from national samples, ensuring broad representativeness. For an in-depth understanding of the international survey methodology and specific country sample designs, further details are available through Pew Research Center’s dedicated international methodology resources.
A key aspect of Pew Research Center’s international analyses involves the integration of demographic variables and categorizations drawn from external data sources. This practice enhances the depth and comparative value of the research. Among these critical categorizations are:
Ideology as a Lens for Understanding Public Opinion
To dissect public sentiment, the survey categorizes respondents based on their self-identified position on an ideological spectrum. Through a series of carefully crafted questions about political ideology, respondents are classified into distinct groups: left, center, and right. This approach allows for a nuanced examination of how differing ideological perspectives shape attitudes towards a wide array of social, economic, and political issues, providing crucial context for interpreting survey findings across diverse populations.
Religious Identification: A Measure of Societal Diversity
Understanding the role of religion in public life is paramount. In each surveyed nation, participants are queried about their current religious affiliation. Pew Research Center then analyzes groups with sufficient sample sizes to ensure statistical reliability. While specific religious groups are examined individually, respondents belonging to other religious backgrounds are consistently included in the overall national totals, acknowledging their contribution to the societal mosaic even when separate subgroup analysis is not feasible.
Standardized Education Metrics for Global Comparability
To facilitate meaningful comparisons of educational attainment across different national contexts, Pew Research Center standardizes education levels. This standardization adheres to the United Nations’ International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), a globally recognized framework. By applying this unified standard, the Center ensures that educational comparisons are not skewed by variations in national educational systems, thereby enhancing the accuracy and comparability of its cross-national research.
Economic Classifications: High- and Middle-Income Countries
The classification of countries into high- and middle-income categories is based on the World Bank’s established criteria. These categories are primarily determined by per capita gross national income. This economic stratification is a recurring element in Pew Research Center’s analyses, appearing in studies that examine global views on topics such as China’s influence, satisfaction with democratic governance, attitudes toward globalization, and differing perspectives on national identity. This consistent application of economic categories allows for the identification of trends and patterns that may be influenced by a country’s economic standing.
The American Trends Panel: A Robust Methodology for U.S. Public Opinion
In addition to its global surveys, Pew Research Center maintains the American Trends Panel (ATP), a nationally representative panel of U.S. adults. This panel serves as a vital resource for tracking evolving public opinion within the United States.
Overview of ATP Wave 190
The data informing this report originates from Wave 190 of the American Trends Panel, a survey conducted from March 23 to March 29, 2026. Out of 4,046 sampled panelists, a substantial 3,507 responded, achieving a survey-level response rate of 87%. The cumulative response rate, which accounts for nonresponse during recruitment and subsequent panel attrition, stands at 3%. Among those who logged into the survey and completed at least one question, the break-off rate was a mere 1%. For the full sample of 3,507 respondents, the margin of sampling error at a 95% confidence level is plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
To ensure more precise estimates for smaller demographic subgroups, the survey incorporates an oversample of Muslim, Jewish, and non-Hispanic Asian adults. These oversampled groups are subsequently weighted to accurately reflect their proportion within the broader U.S. population, thereby maintaining the overall representativeness of the sample. The survey was administered by SSRS on behalf of Pew Research Center, utilizing both online (n=3,377) and live telephone (n=130) interviewing methods. Interviews were conducted in both English and Spanish to accommodate a diverse respondent pool. Further details about the American Trends Panel are available through its dedicated informational page.
Panel Recruitment: A Stratified Approach
Since 2018, the ATP has employed address-based sampling (ABS) for its recruitment efforts. This methodology involves mailing a study cover letter and a pre-incentive to a stratified, random sample of households selected from the U.S. Postal Service’s Computerized Delivery Sequence File, which is estimated to cover between 90% and 98% of the U.S. population. Within each selected household, the adult with the next birthday is invited to participate. While the specifics of the ABS recruitment protocol have evolved over time, they are available upon request. Prior to 2018, the ATP relied on landline and cellphone random-digit-dial surveys for recruitment.
A national sample of U.S. adults has been recruited to the ATP approximately annually since 2014. In select years, enhanced recruitment efforts, known as oversamples, have been undertaken to improve data accuracy for underrepresented groups. For instance, Hispanic, Black, and Asian adults were specifically oversampled in 2019, 2022, and 2023, respectively.
Sample Design: Ensuring Representativeness
The target population for this specific survey comprised noninstitutionalized individuals aged 18 and older residing in the United States. The sample design featured a stratified random selection from the ATP, with Muslim, Jewish, and non-Hispanic Asian adults being selected with certainty. The remaining panelists were sampled at rates designed to ensure that the proportion of respondents from each stratum closely matched their proportion in the U.S. adult population. Respondent weights are meticulously adjusted to account for any differential probabilities of selection, as detailed in the weighting section.
Questionnaire Development and Testing: A Commitment to Accuracy
The questionnaire for Wave 190 was meticulously developed by Pew Research Center in close consultation with SSRS. The online survey platform underwent rigorous testing by both the SSRS project team and Pew Research Center researchers on a variety of PC and mobile devices. Furthermore, the SSRS team generated test data that was analyzed in SPSS to verify the integrity of the survey logic and randomizations before the official launch.
Incentives: Encouraging Participation
All respondents were offered a post-paid incentive for their participation, which could be received as a check or a gift code redeemable at Amazon.com, Target.com, or Walmart.com. The incentive amount, ranging from $5 to $20, varied based on the demographic characteristics of the respondent, reflecting the relative difficulty in reaching certain population segments. These differential incentives are strategically employed to enhance panel survey participation among groups that traditionally exhibit lower survey response propensities.
Data Collection Protocol: A Multi-Modal Approach
The data collection period for this survey spanned from March 23 to March 29, 2026. Surveys were administered through self-administered web questionnaires and live telephone interviews.
For panelists completing surveys online, postcard notifications were dispatched to a subset of respondents on March 23. Survey invitations were distributed through a phased approach: a soft launch, involving 60 panelists, commenced on March 23, followed by a full launch on March 24, which included all remaining English- and Spanish-speaking sampled online panelists. Panelists who opted to receive SMS messages were sent an invitation with a direct survey link and up to two SMS reminders.
For panelists participating via telephone with a live interviewer, prenotification postcards were mailed on March 20. A soft launch on March 23 aimed to complete three interviews, after which the numbers of all remaining English- and Spanish-speaking sampled phone panelists were dialed throughout the survey period. Panelists opting for phone surveys could receive up to six calls from trained SSRS interviewers.
Data Quality Checks: Upholding Integrity
To ensure the highest data quality, Pew Research Center researchers conducted thorough data quality checks. These checks were designed to identify any respondents exhibiting patterns of satisficing, such as leaving a disproportionate number of questions blank or consistently selecting the first or last option presented. As a result of these rigorous checks, five ATP respondents were excluded from the survey dataset prior to weighting and analysis.
Weighting: Adjusting for Representativeness
The weighting process for ATP data is comprehensive, accounting for multiple stages of sampling and nonresponse that occur throughout the panel survey lifecycle. Initially, each panelist is assigned a base weight reflecting their probability of recruitment into the panel. These weights are subsequently calibrated to align with population benchmarks, as detailed in the accompanying table, to correct for nonresponse during recruitment surveys and panel attrition. If only a subsample of panelists is invited to participate in a specific wave, this weight is further adjusted to reflect any differential selection probabilities.
Among panelists who completed the survey, the weights are again calibrated to match population benchmarks. To mitigate the loss of precision due to extreme weight variations, weights are trimmed at the 1st and 99th percentiles. Sampling errors and statistical significance tests incorporate the impact of this weighting process.
The following table illustrates the unweighted sample sizes and the expected sampling error at a 95% confidence level for various subgroups within the survey.
Sample sizes and sampling errors for additional subgroups are available upon request. It is important to note that, in addition to sampling error, potential biases can be introduced by question wording and practical challenges encountered during survey administration.
Dispositions and Response Rates: Measuring Engagement
Detailed tables outlining the final dispositions of surveyed individuals and the cumulative response rates provide critical insights into the survey’s reach and completion. These figures are essential for understanding the overall representativeness and potential limitations of the data. The meticulous tracking of dispositions, from initial contact to completed interviews, alongside the calculation of various response rates (e.g., survey-level, cumulative), underscores the commitment to transparency and methodological rigor that defines Pew Research Center’s survey operations. These metrics serve as a benchmark for evaluating the success of recruitment and data collection strategies and are crucial for interpreting the findings of the Spring 2026 Global Attitudes Survey and the associated American Trends Panel waves.
