Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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For more recent survey data about religion in Latin America, read our 2026 report “Catholicism Has Declined in Latin America Over the Past Decade.” Latin Americans have widely embraced Pope Francis – the first head of the Catholic Church elected from the New World. More than half of respondents in each of the countries surveyed express a favorable opinion […]
Smartphones often serve as a go-to source for staying informed about breaking news and community happenings, getting from place to place, conducting transactions, and navigating life events such as finding a new job or getting information about a health condition. This chapter of the report looks in more detail at the specific activities that smartphone […]
About half of today’s 25- to 34-year-olds (49%) have never been married, a fourfold increase since 1960 (12%). The median age at first marriage is now 27 for women and 29 for men, up from 20 for women and 23 for men in 1960.[18. numoffset=”18″ U.S. Census Bureau table MS-2. (http://www.census.gov/hhes/families/data/marital.html)] Young adults are not […]
For more recent survey data about religion in Latin America, read our 2026 report “Catholicism Has Declined in Latin America Over the Past Decade.” Latin Americans generally embrace democracy as their preferred form of government. In most of the countries surveyed, majorities or pluralities also say they would prefer a government that refrains from promoting religious values and beliefs. […]
Economist Gary Becker argued many decades ago that marriage can be analyzed within an economic framework. Marriage is voluntary, and men and women compete when they try to find the best mate.[14. numoffset=”14″ Gary S. Becker. 1974. “A Theory of Marriage” p. 299-344 in Economics of the Family: Marriage, Children, and Human Capital, edited by […]
Last year an estimated 20.6 million people — 30% of all hourly, non-self-employed workers aged 18 and older in the U.S. — earned above the applicable minimum wage in their state but less than the proposed $10.10/hour minimum.
As the share of never-married adults has risen, their characteristics have diverged increasingly from those of married adults.[21. numoffset=”21″ These demographic comparisons are based on a universe of adults ages 25 and older.] Today’s never-married adults are on average younger, less likely to be white and somewhat less educated than married adults. Five decades ago, […]
Democrats have lost ground since 2012 among Latino registered voters on two measures of support: party affiliation and which party has more concern for Latinos. Nonetheless, Democrats maintain a wide advantage over Republicans on these measures, as Democratic losses have not necessarily translated into Republican gains. For example, the share of Latino voters who say […]
Student debt has increased dramatically over the past several decades. The aggregate volume of new student borrowing has increased more than fourfold over the past 20 years. In 2012-13 students borrowed $110 billion for higher education (Baum, 2013). By comparison, students borrowed only $24 billion in 1990-91 (both figures are in 2012 dollars). One fundamental […]
With parliamentary elections approaching later this month, Tunisian support for democracy has declined steeply since the early days of the Arab Spring. Just 48% of Tunisians now say democracy is preferable to other kinds of government, down from 63% in a 2012 poll conducted only months after a popular uprising removed longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali from office.
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