Public Predictions for the Future of Workforce Automation
A majority of Americans predict that within 50 years, robots and computers will do much of the work currently done by humans, but few expect their own jobs to experience substantial impacts.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Internet and Technology
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So far, turnout in this year’s primaries rivals 2008 record
So far this year, Republican primaries are experiencing record turnouts, much as voting in Democratic primaries surged in 2008. But the longer-term trend in primary turnout has been down.
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UN peacekeeping at new highs after post-Cold War surge and decline
The number of UN peacekeeping forces around the world has peaked in recent months after falling off in the late 1990s, following a period of trial and error for UN interventions.
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Long Supreme Court vacancies used to be more common
If Senate Republicans stick with their declared intention to not consider anyone President Obama might nominate to replace Antonin Scalia, his seat on the Supreme Court likely would remain vacant for a year or more. That would be the longest vacancy on the court for nearly five decades, but by no means the longest ever in U.S. history. In fact, for much of the 19th century it was not uncommon for Supreme Court seats to be unoccupied for months – or, in a few cases, years – at a time.
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Scalia’s Supreme Court vacancy draws much public interest, unlike past open seats
Such high levels of interest and engagement weren’t common in past Supreme Court nomination battles.
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Broad support for internet freedom around the world
Many people around the world consider free expression in cyberspace to be a fundamental right.
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Emerging, developing countries gain ground in the tech revolution
People in emerging and developing nations are quickly catching up to those in advanced nations in terms of access to technology.
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Americans feel the tensions between privacy and security concerns
Much of the focus has been on government surveillance, though there are also significant concerns about how businesses use data.
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English-speaking Asian Americans stand out for their technology use
Discussions of the “digital divide” often touch on race and ethnicity – and the narrative is usually that whites lead in technology adoption while other racial or ethnic groups struggle to keep up. But that’s not the case for English-speaking Asian Americans.
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Near-record number of primaries this year, but not quite as early
All but five states will hold at least one primary this year, cementing the primary’s dominance over the older caucus system in the presidential nominating process. But compared to 2008, the last time both parties had open nomination contests, the voting started later this year and is a bit more spread out.
