The gap between the number of blacks and whites in prison is shrinking
Blacks have long outnumbered whites in U.S. prisons. But a significant decline in the number of black prisoners has narrowed the gap.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Read our research on:
Science
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What Americans Know About Science
Many Americans can answer at least some questions about science concepts. Science knowledge levels remain strongly tied to education; Republicans and Democrats are about equally knowledgeable.
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Science Knowledge Quiz
Test your knowledge of science facts and applications of scientific principles by taking our 11-question quiz, then compare your answers to the average American and across demographic groups.
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Science knowledge varies by race and ethnicity in U.S.
About half of whites correctly answered at least nine of 11 science-related questions, compared with much smaller shares of Hispanics and blacks.
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5 facts about vaccines in the U.S.
Most Americans believe the health benefits of the MMR vaccine are high and the risks are low. Many favor school-based vaccine requirements.
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The share of women in legislatures around the world is growing, but they are still underrepresented
No world region has reached gender parity in the share of legislative seats held by women. Only three nations individually have reached or surpassed parity.
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California is one of 11 states that have the death penalty but haven’t used it in more than a decade
More than a third of the states that allow executions haven’t carried one out in at least 10 years or, in some cases, much longer.
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For Darwin Day, 6 facts about the evolution debate
Tuesday is the 210th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth. Roughly eight-in-ten U.S. adults say humans have evolved over time.
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For the fifth time in a row, the new Congress is the most racially and ethnically diverse ever
More than one-in-five voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are racial or ethnic minorities.
