The Morning Buzz | July 5, 2012

Welcome to the Morning Buzz, PRRI’s morning dose of religion-related news with a shot of data – because what doesn’t liven up a morning round-up like some public opinion numbers? The U.S. government would like to make extra-sure that you know mermaids don’t exist. No word, though, on whether Singapore’s mascot, the “merlion” (a creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish) is a myth.

A new Pew Research Center poll reveals that despite the immense (immense!) amount of digital ink spilled over the Supreme Court’s health care decision, 45% either didn’t know what the court had done in regards the health care law (30%) or thought that the court had rejected most of the provisions of the law (15%).

Among those who are bravely continuing to rehash the decision in the face of this news, there hasn’t been much discussion of the racial dimensions of American public opinion. This is unfortunate because, as Robert P. Jones points out in his latest for the Huffington Post, there’s a stark racial divide on this issue.

The nuns who embarked on a 2,700-mile bus tour across the Midwest to protest Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget returned to DC earlier this week. They took to the road to protest the Ryan budget’s deep cuts to social programs. Nearly 7-in-10 (69%) Catholics agree that the government should do more to reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.

Mitt Romney’s bid for the presidency seems to be drawing more scholars to the burgeoning field of “Mormon Studies.” That’s probably a good thing, considering that 82% of Americans say they know little or nothing about Mormons’ religious beliefs and practices.

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