Trust in scientists and medical scientists has fallen below pre-pandemic levels, with 29% of U.S. adults saying they have a great deal of confidence in medical scientists to act in the best interests of the public. This is down from 40% in November 2020 and 35% in January 2019, before COVID-19 emerged. Other prominent groups – including the military, police officers and public school principals – have also seen their ratings decline.
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Most Americans value having family close by, while 55% say they live within an hour’s drive of at least some extended family members.
Abortion has long been a contentious issue in the United States, and it is one that sharply divides Americans along partisan, ideological and religious lines.
44% of Americans think major technology companies should be regulated more than they are now, down from 56% in April 2021.
Yet renewable sources, like wind and solar, remain Americans’ overall priority for domestic production.
Seven-in-ten Americans view inflation as a very big problem for the country, followed by the affordability of health care and violent crime.
As has often been the case on policy questions about how to deal with the pandemic, partisans are far apart in their views on mask mandates.
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Trust in American institutions is essential to the functioning of U.S. democracy. Yet today, many feel that trust is declining. So what impact does this have on American society?
We explore that question in our new five-part animated video series, which brings together the Center’s key findings about trust in the news media, elections, police, scientists and the economy.
Nearly half of U.S. adults say the pandemic has driven people in their community apart. Many see a long road to recovery: About one-in-five say life in their community will never get back to the way it was before COVID-19.
53% of parents of K-12 students say schools in the United States should be providing a mix of in-person and online instruction this winter.
37% of U.S. adults say they are following news about the coronavirus outbreak very closely. That is up from 31% in March 2021.
Recent surveys have documented how people around the world view the issue of climate change and international responses.
Citizens offer mixed reviews of how their societies have responded to climate change, and many question the efficacy of international efforts to stave off a global environmental crisis.
46% of U.S. adults say the area where they live has had an extreme weather event over the past 12 months.
Majorities of Americans support an array of measures to address climate change but stop short of a full break with fossil fuels.
The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million in 2020, an increase of 23% over the previous decade.
Most Latino immigrants say they would come to the U.S. again.
Immigrants – particularly those from African nations – are a growing share of the U.S. Black population.
Latinos with darker skin color report more discrimination experiences than Latinos with lighter skin color.
“A record 23 million Asian Americans trace their roots to more than 20 countries … and the U.S. Asian population is projected to reach 46 million by 2060.”
The first video in Pew Research Center’s Methods 101 series helps explain random sampling – a concept that lies at the heart of all probability-based survey research – and why it’s important.
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About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
