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? Today’s brides just aren’t what they used to be. Instead of contenting themselves with a hunk of glittering diamond on their ring finger, they want “alternative” engagement rings. And boy, are they willing to pay for them. Kids these days! Read more at the New York Times.

New numbers from Gallup show that Newt Gingrich is way ahead of Mitt Romney in terms of nationwide support from GOP voters. Looking at these charts, though, it’s easy to remember a day when Gingrich was one of the least personally liked of all the candidates. Will Gingrich be able to win over enough Republican supporters to make his lead stick? He’s certainly going out of his way to court older Americans.

Researchers from Northwestern conducted a new survey of the political and social opinions of the 1%, and found that the wealthiest Americans are more likely to be politically involved, spend more time volunteering, and believe that the federal deficit is the nation’s most pressing problem.

Jon Huntsman seems to be trying harder to appeal to the GOP faithful on the issue of climate change. His certainty about the existence of global warming seems to have melted away (no pun intended), and he says that there is “more debate yet to play out” on the issue.

USA Today sketches a portrait of an immigrant family, separated by the mother’s lack of legal immigration status. Although Americans’ views about immigration are complex, they are equally likely to emphasize protecting the dignity of every person (82%) and keeping families together (80%) as they are to highlight prioritizing national security (88%) and ensuring fairness to taxpayers (84%).

On a Republican National Committee conference call, Republican allies were warned not to attack Obama’s character, since his personal approval ratings are still quite high. In the 2011 American Values Survey, PRRI found that although Americans are divided over his job as president, a majority (53%) of Americans say they have a favorable view of Obama personally.

Speaking of Obama, a woman who previously believed that the president had let down the middle class wrote an op-ed to the Los Angeles Times, explaining that after discovering she had breast cancer, she was “saved” by Obama’s health care reforms. Americans’ views about Obama’s health care plan are decidedly more mixed, but significantly more Americans believe that it will result in more people having health insurance (37%) than believe that it will result in fewer people having coverage (24%).

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