Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about many aspects of the country’s future
63% of Americans are pessimistic about the country’s moral and ethical standards, and 59% are pessimistic about its education system.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Social Trends
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Public Has Mixed Views on the Modern American Family
Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about the institution of marriage and the family. At the same time, the public is fairly accepting of diverse family arrangements, though some are seen as more acceptable than others.
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The Modern American Family
Key trends in marriage and family life in the United States.
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A growing share of Americans say they’ve had fertility treatments or know someone who has
42% of U.S. adults say they or someone they know has used fertility treatments. This is up from 33% five years ago.
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Most Americans say being a man helps a person get ahead in the U.S.
Six-in-ten U.S. adults say being a man helps a lot or a little when it comes to a person’s ability to get ahead in the U.S., compared with 14% who say it hurts
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About 8 in 10 women in opposite-sex marriages say they took their husband’s last name
Younger women, women with a postgraduate degree and Democratic women are more likely to keep their last name after marriage.
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Black workers’ views and experiences in the U.S. labor force stand out in key ways
Black workers account for about 13% of all U.S. workers, including those who work full time, part time and are self-employed.
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‘Back to school’ means anytime from late July to after Labor Day, depending on where in the U.S. you live
Most K-12 students at U.S. public schools have a school year of about 180 days, but when that year starts and ends varies substantially by region.
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Americans are divided on whether society overlooks racial discrimination or sees it where it doesn’t exist
53% of U.S. adults say people overlooking racial discrimination is a bigger problem than people seeing it where it really didn’t exist.
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More than 4 in 10 U.S. workers don’t take all their paid time off
About half of upper-income workers (51%) say they take off less time than offered, compared with 45% of middle-income workers and 41% of lower-income workers.
