Schar School of Policy and Government

Maria Cuesta’s passion for global politics, economics, and community service led her to the Schar School.

About 1 in 5 workers overall has considered a professional shift, a signal that the pandemic has been a turning point for many, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. Additionally, since the pandemic began, 28 percent of U.S. adults say they have seriously considered moving to a new community, and 17 percent say they had already moved, either temporarily or permanently.

While millions of Americans stayed home during the coronavirus pandemic, many others moved — some motivated by the ability to work remotely.

Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin are locked in a tight race for Virginia governor, with McAuliffe standing at 50 percent to 47 percent for Youngkin among likely voters in a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

A Washington Post-Schar School poll finds that most Americans are skeptical over whether several Internet giants will responsibly handle their personal information and data about their online activity, and an overwhelming majority think that tech companies don’t provide people with enough control over how their activities are tracked and used. According to the survey, 72 percent of Internet users trust Facebook “not much” or “not at all” to responsibly handle their personal information and data on their Internet activity.

As federal lawmakers rejected D.C.’s bid to overhaul its criminal code, they described the city as awash in violent crime. But D.C. residents feel safer from crime in their neighborhoods than they did this time last year, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. More than three-quarters of Washingtonians (77 percent) feel they are “very” or “somewhat” safe from crime in their neighborhoods, up from 69 percent in 2022 and about the same percentage as in November 2019, before the pandemic.

When and if a new ownership group formally takes over the Washington Commanders, it will inherit a team that has hemorrhaged supporters across the area, a fan base that wants a new stadium built in the District and a region that cites team owner Daniel Snyder as the biggest reason for the sharp decline in interest in the franchise.

Forty-seven percent say the state is heading in the right direction, while 42 percent think it’s on the wrong track. The state's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin gets a positive approval rating from 52 percent of Virginia voters, with 39 percent rating him negatively. Youngkin receives positive ratings from Republicans, independents and men, but negative marks among Democrats and women.

D.C.-area leaders have tried desperately to lure teleworking employees back into their offices, hoping to restore the vibrancy and generous tax revenue previously offered by buzzy commercial and downtown corridors that largely emptied during the pandemic. But a large majority of people in the region with remote-capable jobs say they would prefer to mostly work from home if offered the choice, a Washington Post-Schar School poll finds.

Despite disparities in student performance, a majority of Virginia voters say they believe the state's public schools provide equal opportunities for students across racial and income groups, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.