The United States at 250: How the Country Has Changed in the Past 50 Years
Ahead of the nation’s birthday, Pew Research Center identified some prominent trends across key areas of American life: demographics, work, family and economics.
Economy & Work
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Greatest Dangers in the World
Our 2014 Global Attitudes survey in 44 countries asked which among five dangers was considered to be the “greatest threat to the world.” Many in the Middle East said religious and ethnic hatred was the greatest threat, while Europeans tended to choose inequality. Africans are more concerned with AIDS and other infectious diseases, while scattered countries, many with good reason, chose the spread of nuclear weapons or pollution and environmental problems as the top danger.
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Middle Easterners See Religious and Ethnic Hatred as Top Global Threat
Publics across the globe see the threat of religious and ethnic violence as a growing threat to the world’s future, with concern especially strong in the Middle East.
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China’s government may be communist, but its people embrace capitalism
China’s incredible economic expansion has led the Chinese to be overwhelmingly happy with their economic situation and optimistic about their future, but there are underlying complaints about inflation, inequality and corruption.
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What the world thinks about economic opportunity and inequality
People in emerging and developing nations are optimistic about the financial future of their children. It’s a different story in richer nations, where most believe prospects for the next generation are grim.
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Emerging and Developing Economies Much More Optimistic than Rich Countries about the Future
As they continue to struggle with the effects of the Great Recession, most people in advanced economies are pessimistic about the financial prospects of the next generation. In contrast, emerging and developing nations are more optimistic that the next generation will have a higher standard of living.
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The Changing Profile of Student Borrowers
In 2012, a record 69% of the nation’s new college graduates had taken out student loans to finance their education. Graduates from more affluent families are much more likely to borrow today than 20 years ago.
