Americans take a dim view of the nation’s future, look more positively at the past
When Americans look ahead to 2050, they see a country that in many respects will be worse than it is today.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
When Americans look ahead to 2050, they see a country that in many respects will be worse than it is today.
Across the nations surveyed, a median of 62% of adults – including 63% in the United States – say their country will be better off if it is open to changes.
Americans increasingly say gender is determined by one’s sex assigned at birth, but they differ by religion on this and other transgender issues.
About half of Asian adults who have heard of affirmative action (53%) say it is a good thing, 19% say it is a bad thing, and 27% say they don’t know whether it is good or bad. However, about three-quarters of all Asian adults (76%) say race or ethnicity should not factor into college admissions decisions.
Most Asian Americans say violence against them is increasing, and most also worry at least some of the time about being threatened or attacked.
But they hold differing opinions about what that phrase means, and two-thirds of U.S. adults say churches should keep out of politics.
More than nine-in-ten Americans (93%) say high school grades should be at least a minor factor in admissions decisions.
Federal statistics show dramatic declines in U.S. violent and property crime rates since the early 1990s.
With Election Day approaching, here’s a closer look at voter attitudes on violent crime and an analysis of the nation’s violent crime rate.
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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