Key facts about the U.S. national debt
Private investors are the biggest holders of national debt – $24.4 trillion as of March 2025 – followed by federal trust funds and retirement programs.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Americans rate their federal, state and local governments less positively than a few years ago
Americans view their state and local governments far more positively than the federal government in Washington.
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Fewer than 1% of federal criminal defendants were acquitted in 2022
In 2022, only 290 of 71,954 defendants in federal criminal cases – about 0.4% – went to trial and were acquitted.
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72% of Americans say the U.S. used to be a good example of democracy, but isn’t anymore
A median of 40% of adults across 34 other countries surveyed in 2024 say U.S. democracy used to be a good example for other countries to follow.
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Third-party and independent candidates for president often fall short of early polling numbers
Given the number of third-party and independent candidates in the 2024, we examined how such candidates fared in past elections.
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Methodology
The American Trends Panel survey methodology Overview The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Panelists participate via self-administered web surveys. Panelists who do not have internet access at home are provided with a tablet and wireless internet connection. Interviews are conducted in […]
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1. Views of the United States
Across 24 nations, a 49% median view the U.S. favorably, while an identical share do not. People are also roughly split on whether U.S. democracy works well.
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2. Confidence in Biden to handle world affairs
On balance, Biden gets positive reviews on the survey, although there are notable differences across countries. A median of 54% say they trust Biden to do the right thing in international affairs and 39% say they do not. As with views of the U.S., Poland and Hungary stand out for their stark disagreement about the […]
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Public’s Positive Economic Ratings Slip; Inflation Still Widely Viewed as Major Problem
Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats remain fearful about the state of the country.
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5 facts about food costs in America
About six-in-ten U.S. adults say food costs are extremely or very important to them when deciding what to buy.
