In Taiwan and across the region, many support closer economic ties with both U.S. and mainland China

By Kat Devlin, Laura Silver and Christine Huang

Politically, Taiwan is often a flashpoint in U.S.-China relations, caught between the two superpowers and pulled in both directions. When it comes to public views of the superpowers, there is little ambiguity: Adults in Taiwan have much more favorable views of the U.S. than mainland China and, by a wide margin, prefer closer political relations with Washington than Beijing. But when it comes to economic relations, some in the region are more willing to work with both Beijing and Washington, rather than choosing one or the other, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis.

Among adults in Taiwan, favorable views of the U.S. generally come at the expense of mainland China. A plurality of 42% hold favorable views of the U.S. and unfavorable views of the mainland. Just 11% of adults in Taiwan report positive attitudes toward mainland China but not toward the U.S. Roughly a quarter voice favorable opinions of both countries, and about two-in-ten see both the U.S. and mainland China in a negative light.

A majority of Americans say immigrants mostly fill jobs U.S. citizens do not want

By Jens Manuel Krogstad, Mark Hugo Lopez and Jeffrey S. Passel

Americans generally agree that immigrants – whether undocumented or living legally in the country – mostly do not work in jobs that U.S. citizens want, with a majority saying so across racial and ethnic groups and among both political parties. This is particularly true when it comes to undocumented immigrants. About three-quarters of adults (77%) say undocumented immigrants mostly fill jobs U.S. citizens do not want, while 21% say undocumented immigrants fill jobs U.S. citizens would like to have, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted April 29 to May 5. Read More →

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Unauthorized Immigration Immigration Attitudes Business and Labor Work and Employment Immigration

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Hispanic women, immigrants, young adults, those with less education hit hardest by COVID-19 job losses

By Rakesh Kochhar

Teresa Saenz was laid off from The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida, after the hotel closed in late March due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has been unsparing in its impact on the U.S. labor market. The number of employed workers fell by 24.7 million from February to April 2020 as the outbreak shuttered many parts of the economy. With the easing of government-mandated closures in recent weeks, employment picked up by 4.1 million from April to May. But overall, job losses remain sizable, with employment decreasing by 20.6 million (or 13%) from February to May. The downturn has affected some Americans more than others, particularly Hispanic women, immigrants, young adults and those with less education.

The decrease in employment in the first three months of the COVID-19 recession is more than double the decrease effected by the Great Recession over two years. From the end of 2007 to the end of 2009, U.S. employment fell by 8.0 million, or 5%. In addition, the impact of the COVID-19 recession on several groups of workers varies notably from their experiences in the Great Recession, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data.

While many American workers are hopeful they will get their old jobs back, analysts are unsure of the depth of the recession and the shape of the recovery that may follow. Here are five facts about how the employment of American workers is being affected by the COVID-19 downturn. Read More →

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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)Business and Labor Work and Employment Race and Ethnicity

Fast facts about how Americans and Germans see security issues amid Trump’s plan to reduce troop levels

By John Gramlich

Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Donald Trump walked by each other in 2017. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images) — Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and President Donald Trump walked by each other at a NATO summit in Brussels in 2017. (Kay Nietfeld/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The Trump administration is reportedly planning to withdraw 9,500 American troops from Germany by September. The withdrawal would represent a decrease of more than 25% of the roughly 35,000 total American troops based in Germany, where the United States has had a military presence since the end of World War II.

Pew Research Center and Körber-Stiftung have conducted parallel surveys in the U.S. and Germany in recent years to learn more about the way Americans and Germans perceive the relationship between their countries. Based on these and other surveys, here are some fast facts about how people in the two nations see the importance of American military bases in Germany, as well as broader questions about security issues.

A month before George Floyd’s death, black and white Americans differed sharply in confidence in the police

By Hannah Gilberstadt

Metropolitan police officers in Washington, D.C., watched protesters leave a rally on June 2, 2020, in Washington, D.C., after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) — Police in Washington, D.C., watch demonstrators leave a protest against police brutality and the death of George Floyd on June 2 after a curfew was imposed. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Just before George Floyd’s death and the ensuing protests, wide racial differences in confidence in the police

Widespread public protests across the United States and around the world have followed the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. The protests have drawn attention to questions about police officers’ treatment of black Americans and highlight long-standing racial and ethnic differences in both experiences with police and confidence in officers to act in the public’s best interest.

Just a month before Floyd’s death, a Pew Research Center survey found that 78% of Americans overall – but a far smaller share of black Americans (56%) – said they had at least a fair amount of confidence in police officers to act in the best interests of the public. By contrast, large majorities of white (84%) and Hispanic (74%) adults expressed at least a fair amount of confidence. These views – and the wide racial and ethnic gap in opinions – had changed little over the prior few years. Read More →

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Criminal Justice Protests and Uprisings Race and Ethnicity

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Black U.S. adults follow many COVID-19 news topics more closely, discuss the outbreak more frequently

By Amy Mitchell and Mark Jurkowitz

Black Americans, a group that has been hit disproportionately hard by the coronavirus outbreak, have been paying closer attention to many elements of the outbreak – and discussing it more frequently with other people – than other U.S. adults, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted before nationwide protests began over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Many Americans have been following news about the coronavirus outbreak very closely, including 50% of black adults, 46% of white adults and 43% of Hispanic adults, according to the survey, conducted April 20-26, 2020, as part of the Center’s American News Pathways project.

But black adults were much more likely than whites and somewhat more likely than Hispanic adults to frequently discuss the COVID-19 outbreak with other people. Roughly a quarter (26%) of black adults said they discuss it almost all the time, more than twice the 10% of white adults who said the same, and more than the 19% of Hispanic adults who said the same.

What is machine learning, and how does it work?

By Patrick van Kessel

At Pew Research Center, we collect and analyze data in a variety of ways. Besides asking people what they think through surveys, we also regularly study things like images, videos and even the text of religious sermons.

In a digital world full of ever-expanding datasets like these, it’s not always possible for humans to analyze such vast troves of information themselves. That’s why our researchers have increasingly made use of a method called machine learning. Broadly speaking, machine learning uses computer programs to identify patterns across thousands or even millions of data points. In many ways, these techniques automate tasks that researchers have done by hand for years. Read More →

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Research Methods Data Labs

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Black Americans face higher COVID-19 risks, are more hesitant to trust medical scientists, get vaccinated

By John Gramlich and Cary Funk

Black Americans have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, accounting for a disproportionate share of COVID-19 deaths. At the same time, they stand out from other racial and ethnic groups in their attitudes toward key health care questions associated with the outbreak. In particular, black adults are more hesitant to trust medical scientists, embrace the use of experimental medical treatments and sign up for a potential vaccine to combat the illness, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.

Nationally, black Americans account for about 13% of the U.S. population but 24% of the coronavirus deaths for which racial or ethnic information was available as of June 2, according to The COVID Tracking Project.

The disparity is particularly wide in some states. In Kansas and Wisconsin, black people account for 6% of each state’s population but 29% and 26% of deaths, respectively – the biggest proportional disparities out of the states for which demographic data on coronavirus deaths is available. In Missouri, blacks account for 12% of the population but 37% of deaths. In eight states overall, the black share of coronavirus deaths is at least twice as high as the black share of the population.

Public health experts have offered a mix of explanations for these disparities. They include higher rates of preexisting health conditions that increase the risk of complications from the coronavirus; social and economic factors that contribute to health risk; and long-standing inequities in health care access and outcomes for black Americans compared with other racial and ethnic groups.
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Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)Health Science and Innovation Race and Ethnicity

10 things we know about race and policing in the U.S.

By Drew DeSilver, Michael Lipka and Dalia Fahmy

A demonstrator holds her hands up while kneeling in front of police at City Hall in Anaheim, California, on June 1, 2020, during a peaceful protest over the death of George Floyd. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)

Days of protests across the United States in the wake of George Floyd’s death in the custody of Minneapolis police have brought new attention to questions about police officers’ attitudes toward black Americans, protesters and others. The public’s views of the police, in turn, are also in the spotlight. Here’s a roundup of Pew Research Center survey findings from the past few years about the intersection of race and law enforcement. Read More →

Topics

Discrimination and Prejudice Criminal Justice African Americans Race and Ethnicity

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How Americans envision a post-pandemic world order

By Mara Mordecai

Many Americans are anticipating changes in the global balance of power and the importance of international cooperation even as the coronavirus outbreak continues to rage across the United States and around the world, according to three recent Pew Research Center surveys. Americans are divided in their outlooks, mainly along ideological lines, but are more united on opinions relating to China’s place in the world.

Here are four key findings on how Americans view the reshaping of international relations from surveys of U.S. adults conducted from March to May 2020. Read More →

Topics

U.S. Global Image and Anti-Americanism China Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)Global Balance of Power

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