About one-in-four Americans say they’ve had fewer advantages in life than others their age
Overall, 29% of U.S. adults said they have had more advantages in life than others their age; 26% felt they have had fewer advantages.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Overall, 29% of U.S. adults said they have had more advantages in life than others their age; 26% felt they have had fewer advantages.
Black adults are particularly likely to say slavery continues to have an impact: More than eight-in-ten say this is the case.
Millennials are the largest adult generation in the United States, and the American family continues to change.
Income inequality nearly doubled among Asians in the U.S. from 1970 to 2016. Sizable income gaps persist across racial and ethnic groups, a new study finds.
Despite some ups and downs over the past several decades, today’s real average wage in the U.S. has about the same purchasing power it did 40 years ago. And most of what wage gains there have been have flowed to the highest-paid tier of workers.
While the size of the U.S. middle class remained relatively stable between 2002 and 2016, financial gains for middle-income Americans were modest compared with those of higher-income households.
In the U.S., the racial and ethnic wealth gap has evolved differently for families at different income levels since the Great Recession.
The fortunes of the middle classes across Western Europe are moving in different directions. Some nations are experiencing both growing incomes and expanding middle classes, while other nations are witness to stagnant or declining incomes and shrinking middle classes, a new Pew Research Center analysis of 11 Western European countries has found. But in a few other countries studied, the middle-class shares are decreasing even as incomes overall are rising.
The American middle class is smaller than middle classes across Western Europe, but its income is higher.
The latest data on the state of race relations in the U.S. and how much progress has been made — or not — in achieving racial equality.
1615 L St. NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20036
USA
(+1) 202-419-4300 | Main
(+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax
(+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries
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.
© 2024 Pew Research Center