Social Values

About half of U.S. Hispanics said in our December 2019 survey that they had serious concerns about their place in the country.

A median of 45% across 34 surveyed countries say it is necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values. However, public opinion on this question, as well as the role of God, prayer and religion varies by country, region and economic development.

Many of the values of the feminist movement have been accepted across the political spectrum in the United States.

A hundred years after the 19th Amendment was ratified, about half of Americans say granting women the right to vote has been the most important milestone in advancing the position of women in the country.

Despite major changes in laws and norms surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBT people around the world, public opinion on the acceptance of homosexuality in society remains sharply divided by country, region and economic development.

When it comes to abortion, members of Congress are starkly divided by party. Yet the partisan divide among Americans themselves is less stark.

Across the surveyed countries, opinion varies widely about the value of diversity. But interacting with people of different backgrounds is related to more positive attitudes about the role of diversity in society.

As demonstrations continue across the country to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man killed while in Minneapolis police custody, Americans see the protests  both as a reaction to Floyd’s death and an expression of frustration over longstanding issues.

Black adults are about five times as likely as whites to say they’ve been unfairly stopped by police because of their race or ethnicity.

From distractions to jealousy, how Americans navigate cellphones and social media in their romantic relationships.