Quarterly Update
A message from Pew Research Center President Michael Dimock · Subscribe ↗
Reflecting on our 20th anniversary
Happy fall!
Two decades ago, The Pew Charitable Trusts chose to strengthen its investment in high-quality information by uniting a diverse set of initiatives into what we know today as Pew Research Center. The Center is an independent subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts that has become an authoritative source of data for the public and policymakers across the U.S. and abroad.
That investment was driven by the belief that fact-based information is the plumb line of democracy, the raw material from which societies identify problems and formulate solutions.
Over the past 20 years, Pew Research Center has documented a period of massive disruption in technology and communication, along with other significant societal shifts – from growing partisan polarization and secularism to new dimensions of diversity and nationalism. You can read our new data essay for a more wide-ranging look back at these changes.
Today, change is still happening all around us. As a research organization, our goal is to understand and document what that change means for people and societies.
The Center provides impartial information to the public with no outcome in mind. We seek not only to inform decision-makers about what is possible, but also to foster broader public understanding among individuals, communities and societies.
We believe in the dignity and worth of human opinion and experience, and we are committed to capturing and presenting the public’s voice with respect and sincerity.
We think the world is better off when people can understand each other’s experiences and perspectives so they can make decisions that move us forward as a society. We see value in holding a mirror up to the world, even if public opinion doesn’t always make sense or we don’t always like what we see.
The Center started out by trying to answer a fundamental question: What do people want from their government? Today, our work has expanded and tends to fall into three big-picture categories: the struggles of maintaining a functional, healthy democracy, the social identities we embody, and the relentless pace of scientific and technological change.
We may be studying these same questions 20 years from now – or new issues and challenges we cannot yet foresee. Luckily, we believe that public opinion research tools are uniquely equipped to keep a finger on the pulse of a rapidly changing world. And we’ve made investments in ensuring our tools are not only best in class, but also constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. Here’s to the next 20 years of discovery and understanding.
Michael Dimock
President, Pew Research Center
How U.S. Public Opinion Has Changed in 20 Years of Our Surveys
Public opinion has changed in major ways over the last 20 years, just as the country and world have. Here’s a closer look at how Americans’ views and experiences have evolved on topics ranging from technology and politics to religion and social issues.
In Tied Presidential Race, Harris and Trump Have Contrasting Strengths, Weaknesses
With less than two months before the November election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump bring contrasting strengths and weaknesses to the presidential contest. Trump’s key advantage is on the economy, while Harris leads on abortion and on several personal traits and characteristics.
The Experiences of U.S. Adults Who Don’t Have Children
Some 57% of adults under 50 who say they are unlikely to have kids say a major reason is they just don’t want to. Among those ages 50 and older, 31% cite this as a reason.
Why Many Parents and Teens Think It’s Harder Being a Teen Today
Is it harder being a teen today? Or do they have it easier than those of past generations? We asked parents and teens who say being a teenager has gotten harder or easier to explain in their own words why they think so.
- Teens and… Screen time | Video games | Social media
What’s new with you? What Americans talk about with family and friends
Americans discuss a wide variety of topics, from work and personal health to politics and pets. Yet for most people, simply catching up is a far more popular topic of conversation than any of those issues when they talk with family and friends.
