American Mobility: Movers,Stayers, Places and Reasons
Americans are settling down: Only 13% of the U.S. population changed residences between 2006 and 2007, the lowest share since the 1940s. A new Pew Research Center survey looks at the reasons people move and stay put, and explains why 23% of adults aren’t living in the place they consider home. Also, an interactive set of maps with detailed regional and state data shows that Texas is the nation’s “stickiest” state and Nevada is the most “magnetic.” Visit the maps to find stats on all 50 states.
Americans Claim to Like Diverse Communities but Do They Really?
People express pro-diversity attitudes to pollsters but U.S. neighborhoods have grown more politically and economically homogenous in recent decades, according to analyses of election returns and U.S. Census data.
Republicans: Still Happy Campers
Despite the imploding stock market, the looming recession, the unpopular president and discouraging political polls, a new Social Trends survey finds GOP adherents still beat Democrats on the happiness scale.
Middle Class, By the Numbers
The plight of Middle Americans has been much invoked by candidates from both parties this election year. Who are these folk? Here’s a self-portrait painted in statistics.
Women Call the Shots at Home; Public Mixed on Gender Roles in Jobs
They say it’s a man’s world, but in the typical American family, it’s the woman who wears the pantsuit. Still, Americans retain strong traditional gender preferences with respect to some job roles. To find out where you fit, take our Couples Quiz, then read the report on the findings of the national survey.
Revisiting the Mommy Wars After Palin: Politics, Gender and Parenthood
A new Pew survey, like others before it, found Republicans far more troubled than Democrats by the long term trend toward mothers of young children working outside the home. But these surveys were conducted before Sarah Palin entered the political scene. The especially enthusiatic initial reponse to her vice presidential candidacy contrasts sharply with these findings.
Men or Women: Who’s the Better Leader?
Americans believe women have the right stuff to be political leaders. When it comes to honesty, intelligence and other traits they value highly in leaders, the public rates women superior to men. But only 6% say women make better political leaders than men. A new Pew survey explores this paradox.
America’s Four Middle Classes
The Top of the Class, the Satisfied Middle, the Anxious Middle and the Struggling Middle – what unites and divides the majority of Americans who call themselves “middle class.”
Baby Boomers: The Gloomiest Generation
Today, in their early 40s to early 60s, boomers are more prosperous than any other age group. Their tastes still rule the world. Yet this privileged and pampered generation is the most downbeat in America.
The Middle Class Blues: Pricey Neighborhoods, High Stress
When it comes to anxiety about family finances, an old truism applies: Where you stand depends on where you sit. Or, more precisely, on where your house or apartment sits.
