Publications on Social Trends

This section features selected Pew Research Center reports (since 2005) related to family, community, health, personal finance, work and leisure. Individual project websites contain more reports related to this topic. In particular, please visit the Social & Demographic Trends project, which explores changes in behaviors and attitudes of Americans in key realms of their lives.

The Return of the Multi-Generational Family Household
18 Mar 10The multi-generational American family household is staging a comeback -- driven in part by the job losses and home foreclosures of recent years, but more so by demographic changes that have been gathering steam for decades. As of 2008, a record 49 million Americans, or 16.1% of the total U.S. population, lived in such a household, up from 28 million, or 12.l%, in 1980. Such households had been more common a century ago, but began to fall out of favor after World War II. Now they are coming back.
Social & Demographic Trends

Millennials, the Midterms and the Political Landscape Beyond
24 Feb 10At a conference at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, Pew Research Center analysts and outside experts discussed research findings about the Millennial generation, the American teens and twenty-somethings now making the passage into adulthood. The last of three sessions addressed the question of whether Millennials, who rocked the vote in 2008, will show up at the polls this November and how they may shape the political landscape beyond?
Pew Research Center

Millennials, Media and Information
24 Feb 10At a conference at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, Pew Research Center analysts and outside experts discussed research findings about the Millennial generation, the American teens and twenty-somethings now making the passage into adulthood. In this second of three sessions experts on media and technology examine how Millennials are seeking, sharing and creating information.
Pew Research Center

Portrait of the Millennials
24 Feb 10At a conference at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2010, Pew Research Center analysts and outside experts discussed research findings about the Millennial generation, the American teens and twenty-somethings now making the passage into adulthood. This first of three sessions provided a broad overview of the Millennial generation, examining their demographics, values, attitudes and behaviors, and discussing the results of the new study.
Pew Research Center

The Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change.
24 Feb 10A new national survey focuses on American teens and twenty-somethings who are making the passage into adulthood at the start of a new millennium. These young people have begun to forge their generational personality: confident, self-expressive, liberal, upbeat and open to change.
Pew Research Center

Does Google Make Us Stupid?
19 Feb 10Experts and stakeholders say the internet will enhance -- not degrade -- our intelligence. It will also change the functions of reading and writing and be built around still-unanticipated gadgetry and applications.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Millennials' Lukewarm Support For Health Care Bills
Many Are Uninsured Yet Most Are Unengaged
4 Feb 10A third of Millennials lack health care insurance, and their support for health care reform exceeds that of older generations, but they have tuned out of the debate in Washington.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Almost All Millennials Accept Interracial Dating and Marriage
1 Feb 10Compared with older groups, particularly Americans ages 50 or older, younger Americans are significantly more likely to be accepting of interracial marriage and are more likely to have friends of a different race.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

New Economics of Marriage: The Rise of Wives
19 Jan 10A larger share of women today, compared with their 1970 counterparts, have more education and income than their spouses. As a result, in recent decades the economic gains associated with marriage have been greater for men than for women.
Social & Demographic Trends

Blacks Upbeat about Black Progress, Prospects
A Year After Obama's Election
12 Jan 10Despite the bad economy, blacks' assessments about the state of black progress in America have improved more dramatically during the past two years than at any time in the past quarter century, according to a new nationwide Pew Research Center survey on race.
Pew Research Center

Did 'We' Want to Do It?
7 Jan 10With women about to become the majority of the U.S. workforce, how do most of today's Rosie the Riveters feel about being "put to more productive use?" In a word: ambivalent.
Pew Research Center

Millennials' Judgments About Recent Trends Not So Different
7 Jan 10Opinions of older adults tend to differ more from the other age groups than the views of those of the youngest generation when it comes to embracing technological advances and societal change. Two issues, the acceptance of homosexuality and tattoos, create especially large generational gaps.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Latinos Online: Narrowing the Gap
22 Dec 09From 2006 to 2008, internet use among Latino adults rose by 10 percentage points, from 54% to 64%, compared with a 4-percentage-point rise among whites and a 2-percentage-point rise among blacks. The growth among Latinos was driven mainly by increased usage by the foreign born and those with lower incomes -- groups that have low rates of online activity.
Pew Hispanic Center

Public Looks Back at Worst Decade in 50 Years
Internet, Cell Phones Are Changes for the Better
21 Dec 09As the current decade draws to a close, relatively few Americans have positive things to say about it. But major technological and communications advances are viewed in an overwhelmingly positive light.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Little Support for Terrorism Among Muslim Americans
17 Dec 09The Pew Research Center's comprehensive portrait of the Muslim American population suggests that, despite recent events, America is less likely to be a fertile breeding ground for terrorism than are Muslim minority communities in other countries.
Pew Research Center

Teens and Sexting
15 Dec 09Among cell-owning teenagers, 15% say they have received sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images of someone they know via text messaging.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Between Two Worlds: How Young Latinos Come of Age in America
11 Dec 09Never before in this country's history has a minority ethnic group made up so large a share of the youngest Americans.
Pew Hispanic Center

The Millennials
11 Dec 09Who are they? How are they different from --and similar to -- their parents? How is their moment in history shaping them? And how might they, in turn, reshape America in the decades ahead?
Pew Research Center

Home for the Holidays...and Every Other Day
Recession Brings Many Young Adults Back to the Nest
24 Nov 09The journey home won't be quite as far this year for many young adults. Instead of traveling across country or across town, many grown sons and daughters will be coming to the holiday dinner table from their old bedroom down the hall, which now doubles as their recession-era refuge.
Social & Demographic Trends

Teens and Distracted Driving
Texting, Talking and Other Uses of the Cell Phone Behind the Wheel
16 Nov 09A new study finds that 43% of older American teens have talked on their cell phones and a quarter have sent text messages while driving; nearly half of all teenagers have been in a car whose driver was texting.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Social Isolation and New Technology
How the Internet and Mobile Phones Impact Americans' Social Networks
4 Nov 09A new study challenges previous research and commonplace fears about the harmful social impact of internet and cell phone use.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

College Enrollment Hits All-Time High, Fueled by Community College Surge
29 Oct 09Driven by a recession-era surge in enrollments at community college, the number of Americans ages 18 to 24 attending college hits a new high, while the high school dropout rate falls to a record low.
Social & Demographic Trends

The States of Marriage and Divorce
Lots of Ex’s Live in Texas
15 Oct 09Marriage, divorce and remarriage rates vary significantly among states as do average education and income levels. Analysis of new Census data reveals some interesting patterns.
Social & Demographic Trends

Most Still Oppose Gay Marriage, but Support for Civil Unions Continues to Rise
9 Oct 09A 57% majority of Americans support civil unions, continuing a long-term trend of increasing support, but a majority still opposes same-sex marriage. The issue continues to sharply divide religious and political groups.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

The Harried Life of the Working Mother
1 Oct 09A solid majority of Americans (75%) reject the idea that women should return to their traditional roles in society, but many women remain conflicted about the competing roles they play at work and at home.
Social & Demographic Trends

What Divides America?
Immigration and Income -- Not Race -- Are Seen as Primary Sources of Social Conflict
24 Sep 09While conflict over race may be America's most historical and inflamed division, more Americans currently see divisions between immigrants and native-born Americans, as well as rich-poor divides, as stronger social conflicts.
Social & Demographic Trends

Take this Job and Love It
Self-Employed Significantly More Satisfied With Jobs
17 Sep 09The self-employed are far more satisfied with their jobs and more likely to work because they want to and not for a paycheck. But if you decide to strike out on your own, don't count on financial security.
Social & Demographic Trends

Recession Turns a Graying Office Grayer
America’s Changing Work Force
3 Sep 09Older adults are staying in the labor force longer, and younger adults are staying out of it longer. Both trends intensified with the recession and are expected to continue after the economy recovers. One reason: Older workers value not just a paycheck, but the psychological and social rewards.
Social & Demographic Trends

Coping With End-of-Life Decisions
Few Have Living Wills
20 Aug 09While most Americans approve of laws that say treatment can be stopped if that’s what a terminally ill patient desires, they are split on what they would do personally in that situation. Only 27% have put into writing their own wishes regarding end-of-life care.
Social & Demographic Trends

Forty Years After Woodstock, A Gentler Generation Gap
12 Aug 09They have different values, beliefs and lifestyles, but young and old today are disagreeing without being disagreeable, a new Pew Research survey finds. They also share a fondness for Woodstock-era rock and roll.
Social & Demographic Trends

Go West, Old Man
Where Older Adults Feel Young at Heart
7 Aug 09Searching for a modern fountain of youth? American's West has the highest concentration of older adults who don't think of themselves as old. Older Westerners also feel healthier and get more exercise than older folks elsewhere.
Social & Demographic Trends

Nap Time
29 Jul 09Feeling drowsy? You're not alone. On a typical day, a third of the adults (34%) in the United States take a nap.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Gay Marriage Debate: Where It Stands
10 Jul 09In recent years, the debate over same-sex marriage has grown from an issue that occasionally arose in a few states to a nationwide controversy. A special report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life describes the various dimensions of the controversy.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Growing Old in America: Expectations vs. Reality
29 Jun 09Getting old isn't nearly as bad as people think it will be. Nor is it quite as good. A new Pew Research social trends survey finds a sizeable gap between expectations and actual experiences.
Social & Demographic Trends

Brides, Grooms Often Have Different Faiths
5 Jun 09Buddhists and the religiously unaffiliated are the most likely to have a spouse or partner with a different religious background, while Mormons and Hindus are the least likely to marry or live with a partner outside their own faith.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Public Backs Affirmative Action, But Not Minority Preferences
2 Jun 09The public has generally been supportive of affirmative action programs, but is decidedly opposed to the idea of providing preferential treatment to minorities.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Most Middle-Aged Adults Are Rethinking Retirement Plans
The Threshold Generation
28 May 09In the midst of a recession that has taken a heavy toll on many nest eggs, just over half of all working adults ages 50 to 64 say they may delay their retirement -- and another 16% say they never expect to stop working.
Social & Demographic Trends

Court of Public Opinion Sides with Women on Empathy
21 May 09Obama says empathy is one of the qualities he'll be looking for in a new Supreme Court justice. Meantime, his White House has floated a list of possible nominees that's stacked heavily with women. Coincidence?
Pew Research Center

Independents Take Center Stage in the Obama Era
Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2009
21 May 09Centrism has emerged as a dominant factor in public opinion as the Obama administration begins. Republicans and Democrats are even more divided than in the past, while the growing political middle is steadfastly mixed in its beliefs about government, the free market and other values that underlie views on contemporary issues and policies. Both political parties have lost adherents since the election and an increasing number of Americans identify as independents.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Not Your Grandfather's Recession -- Literally
Different Ages, Different Downturns
14 May 09Relatively speaking, older Americans' attitudes and lifestyles have been less affected by the economic slump than have those of younger Americans. Meantime, the "Threshold Generation," people nearing retirement, have been hardest hit, as they’ve seen their nest eggs shrink the most.
Social & Demographic Trends

Through Boom and Bust: Minorities, Immigrants and Homeownership
12 May 09The ups and downs in the U.S. housing market over the past decade and a half have generated both greater gains and larger losses for minority groups than for whites.
Pew Hispanic Center

Luxury or Necessity? The Public Makes a U-Turn
23 Apr 09From the kitchen to the laundry room to the home entertainment center, Americans are paring down the list of familiar household appliances they say they can't live without.
Social & Demographic Trends

Blogs, Not Press, Feature Gay Marriage Story
Same-Sex Marriage was No. 1 for Social Media but No. 15 for Traditional Media
17 Apr 09Bloggers devoted far more attention to same-sex marriage than any other story with most applauding the legislative gains for gay couples.
Project for Excellence in Journalism

Smokers Can't Blow Off Stress
8 Apr 09While many say they light up to relieve stress, half of all smokers say they "frequently" experience stress in their daily lives, compared with just 35% of those who once smoked and have now quit, and 31% of those who never smoked.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Rapid Growth and Changing Complexion of Suburban Public Schools
31 Mar 09Public school enrollment in the nation's suburbs has shot up by 3.4 million in the past decade and a half, with the primary driver of this trend being a near doubling of the Latino share of the student population.
Pew Hispanic Center

Before the Current Recession, a Phantom Recovery
Testimony of Pew Research Center Executive Vice President Paul Taylor before the Senate Finance Committee
26 Mar 09Pew Research Center Executive Vice President Paul Taylor's full testimony to the Senate Finance Committee.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Phantom Recovery
26 Mar 09The eight-year period from 1999 through 2007 is the longest in modern U.S. economic history in which inflation-adjusted median household income failed to surpass an earlier peak.
Social & Demographic Trends

Internet Typology: The Mobile Difference
Wireless Connectivity Has Drawn Many Users More Deeply into Digital Life
25 Mar 09Glance at any coffee shop, train station or airport boarding gate, and it is easy to see that mobile access to the internet is taking root in our society. A new Pew Internet Typology study divides information and communication technology users into 10 groups ranging from the "Digital Collaborators" and "Media Movers" to "Tech Indifferent" and "Off the Network."
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Public Has Split Verdict on Increased Level of Unmarried Motherhood
19 Mar 09There is a stronger consensus in public opinion about the social cost of out-of-wedlock births than there is about the morality of these births.
Social & Demographic Trends

Reluctant Suffragettes: When Women Questioned Their Right to Vote
From the Polling Archive
18 Mar 09An 86-year-old polling analysis sheds light on why female Americans were slow to appreciate the fruits of the suffragettes' hard-fought 70-year battle for access to the ballot box.
Pew Research Center

Most Like It Hot
18 Mar 09Given a choice, most Americans would opt for a sun-kissed climate -- but not necessarily for a warm-weather city.
Social & Demographic Trends

Magnet or Sticky?
A State-by-State Typology
11 Mar 09At first glance, magnet and sticky states may seem to be mirror opposites of each other, and it is true that most states score high on one scale and low on another. But it turns out that 10 states rank high on both scales, and another nine score low on both. Find out where your state lands.
Social & Demographic Trends

Suburbs Not Most Popular, But Suburbanites Most Content
26 Feb 09Suburbanites are significantly more satisfied with their communities than are residents of cities, small towns or rural areas, but that doesn't mean Americans want to live there.
Social & Demographic Trends

No Place Like Home -- Even if the Value Is in the Tank
19 Feb 09Not even a housing-led recession can shake Americans' faith in the blessings of homeownership.
Social & Demographic Trends

Twitterpated: Mobile Americans Increasingly Take to Tweeting
12 Feb 09About one-in-ten online U.S. adults now use Twitter or a similar 'micro-blogging' service that allows them to share updates about themselves or to see the updates of others.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Cupid's Arrow Often Hits People of Different Faiths
11 Feb 09More than one-in-four (27%) American adults who are married or living with a partner are in religiously mixed relationships.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

McDonald's and Starbucks: 43% Yin, 35% Yang
10 Feb 09In the smackdown between Big Macs and caffe lattes, Americans manage to typecast themselves by just about every demographic and ideological characteristic under the sun.
Social & Demographic Trends

For Nearly Half of America, Grass Is Greener Somewhere Else
Denver Tops List of Favorite Cities
29 Jan 09Where would Americans most like to live -- and how do they feel about the place they currently call home?
Social & Demographic Trends

Generations Online in 2009
28 Jan 09Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the "Net Generation," internet users in their twenties do not dominate every aspect of online life. Gen X is the most likely to shop, bank and look for health information online. And larger percentages of older generations are doing many more activities online.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

American Mobility: Movers, Stayers, Places and Reasons
17 Dec 08Americans are settling down: Only 13% of the U.S. population changed residences between 2006 and 2007, the lowest share since the 1940s. A new Pew Research Center survey looks at the reasons people move and stay put, and explains why 23% of adults aren't living in the place they consider home. Also, an interactive set of maps with detailed regional and state data shows that Texas is the nation's "stickiest" state and Nevada is the most "magnetic." Visit the maps to find stats on all 50 states.
Social & Demographic Trends

Americans Claim to Like Diverse Communities but Do They Really?
2 Dec 08People express pro-diversity attitudes to pollsters but U.S. neighborhoods have grown more politically and economically homogenous in recent decades, according to analyses of election returns and U.S. Census data.
Social & Demographic Trends

Republicans: Still Happy Campers
23 Oct 08Despite the imploding stock market, the looming recession, the unpopular president and discouraging political polls, a new Social Trends survey finds GOP adherents still beat Democrats on the happiness scale.
Social & Demographic Trends

Networked Families
19 Oct 08Parents and spouses are using the internet and cell phones to create a "new connectedness" that builds on remote connections and shared internet experiences.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Middle Class, By the Numbers
6 Oct 08The plight of Middle Americans has been much invoked by candidates from both parties this election year. Who are these folk? Here's a self-portrait painted in statistics.
Social & Demographic Trends

Will the Culture War Matter on Election Day?
2 Oct 08Leading experts discuss the history of cultural divisions in American politics and what role, if any, they will play in the outcome of the November election.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Women Call the Shots at Home; Public Mixed on Gender Roles in Jobs
Gender and Power
25 Sep 08They say it's a man's world, but in the typical American family, it's the woman who wears the pantsuit. Still, Americans retain strong traditional gender preferences with respect to some job roles. To find out where you fit, take our Couples Quiz, then read the report on the findings of the national survey.
Social & Demographic Trends

Revisiting the Mommy Wars After Palin: Politics, Gender and Parenthood
15 Sep 08A new Pew survey, like others before it, found Republicans far more troubled than Democrats by the long term trend toward mothers of young children working outside the home. But these surveys were conducted before Sarah Palin entered the political scene. The especially enthusiatic initial reponse to her vice presidential candidacy contrasts sharply with these findings.
Social & Demographic Trends

Men or Women: Who's the Better Leader?
A Paradox in Public Attitudes
25 Aug 08Americans believe women have the right stuff to be political leaders. When it comes to honesty, intelligence and other traits they value highly in leaders, the public rates women superior to men. But only 6% say women make better political leaders than men. A new Pew survey explores this paradox.
Social & Demographic Trends

America's Four Middle Classes
29 Jul 08The Top of the Class, the Satisfied Middle, the Anxious Middle and the Struggling Middle - what unites and divides the majority of Americans who call themselves "middle class."
Social & Demographic Trends

Baby Boomers: The Gloomiest Generation
25 Jun 08Today, in their early 40s to early 60s, boomers are more prosperous than any other age group. Their tastes still rule the world. Yet this privileged and pampered generation is the most downbeat in America.
Social & Demographic Trends

The Middle Class Blues: Pricey Neighborhoods, High Stress
29 May 08When it comes to anxiety about family finances, an old truism applies: Where you stand depends on where you sit. Or, more precisely, on where your house or apartment sits.
Social & Demographic Trends

Feeling Guilty: Americans Say They Aren't Saving Enough
14 May 08Most Americans at every income level and in every demographic group worry they aren't putting enough aside for the future -- but they're apparently not worried enough to do much about it, a new survey finds.
Social & Demographic Trends

Who Wants To Be Rich?
The Currently Hard-Pressed Put a Higher Personal Priority on Being Wealthy than Do the Well-to-Do
30 Apr 08Anyone who thinks that Americans worship at the feet of the almighty dollar should ask the American public. In fact, a new Social Trends survey finds only 13% of adults say it's "very important" for them to be wealthy, ranking this personal priority far behind six others measured.
Social & Demographic Trends

Writing, Technology and Teens
24 Apr 08Most teenagers spend a considerable amount of their life composing texts, but they don’t regard most of the material they create electronically as real writing. Does e-communication help – or hurt – students’ writing skills?
Pew Internet & American Life Project

You're Laid Off
A Worsening Economy Couldn't Come at a Worse Time for Many U.S. Workers
16 Apr 08At a time when the U.S. economy is faltering, one out of every seven U.S. workers -- especially those who have already hit hard times in the recent past -- fear they will be laid off in the next 12 months.
Social & Demographic Trends

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life
9 Apr 08A new Pew Social Trends study finds that fewer Americans now than at any time in the past half century believe they're moving forward in life. But at the same time, two-thirds say they have a higher standard of living than their parents had.
Social & Demographic Trends

Immigration to Play Lead Role In Future U.S. Growth
U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050
11 Feb 08If current trends continue, immigrants arriving from 2005 to 2050 and their descendants will account for 82% of the population growth in the United States during this period, according to new projections from the Pew Research Center.
Pew Research Center

Do Blacks and Hispanics Get Along?
Yes, but Not Always, and Not about Everything
31 Jan 08In general the nation's two largest minorities think well of each other, but there are some important differences, a Pew survey finds.
Social & Demographic Trends

Race, Ethnicity and Campaign ’08
People…Can We All Get Along?
17 Jan 08Race, ethnicity and politics can sometimes make for a volatile mix, but a poll finds that race relations in this country are on a pretty even keel.
Social & Demographic Trends

English Usage among Hispanics in the United States
29 Nov 07A new analysis of six Pew Hispanic Center surveys finds a dramatic increase in English-language ability from one generation of Hispanics to the next.
Pew Hispanic Center

Blacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle Class
Optimism About Black Progress Declines
13 Nov 07African Americans see a widening gulf between the values of middle class and poor blacks, and nearly four-in-ten say that because of the diversity within their community, blacks can no longer be thought of as a single race, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Social & Demographic Trends

Modern Marriage: "I Like Hugs. I Like Kisses. But What I Really Love is Help with the Dishes."
18 Jul 07What makes a marriage work? A new Pew survey finds that "sharing household chores" has moved way up on the charts.
Pew Research Center

Fewer Mothers Prefer Full-time Work
From 1997 to 2007
12 Jul 07In the span of the past decade, full-time work outside the home has lost some of its appeal to mothers. This trend holds for both those who have such jobs and those who don't.
Pew Research Center

Same-Sex Marriage: Redefining Legal Unions Around the World
11 Jul 07In many countries around the globe, gay and lesbian couples are seeking the right to marry or enter into other legally recognized forms of domestic partnerships. The legal definition of marriage is in flux, particularly in the developed world.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact
Generation Gap in Values, Behaviors
1 Jul 07At a time when nearly four-in-ten births in this country are to an unmarried mother, the public says unwed parenting is a big problem for society. But Americans are far less inclined now than a generation ago to say children are important to a successful marriage, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Pew Research Center

Mean Teens Online: Forget Sticks and Stones, They've Got Mail
Older Girls and Social Networkers Are Most Likely Targets of Harassment via the Internet
27 Jun 07Forget sticks and stones, today's teenagers have got the web at their command and about a third of those online tell a new Pew Internet survey that they have been targets of annoying and potentially menacing online activities.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Who Flies the Flag? Not Always Who You Might Think
A Closer Look at Patriotism
27 Jun 07For many Americans, demonstrating patriotism means showing the flag; overall, 62% say they do so. Notably, significantly more Northeasterners and Midwesterners fly the flag than do residents of the South or the West.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Don't Blame Me: It's the Phone's Fault!
Many Internet and Cell Phone Users Find Devices and Applications Too Complicated or Hardly Worth the Trouble
20 Jun 07Many internet and cell phone users find devices and applications too complicated or hardly worth the trouble. Here are some ideas to address those problems.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Being Dad May Be Tougher These Days, but Working Moms are among Their Biggest Fans
13 Jun 07Most people agree that it is harder to be a father now than it was 20 or 30 years ago, yet the verdict is mixed on how well today's dads measure up -- about half of the public says they're doing a worse job when compared with fathers a generation ago. But, a majority (56%) of women say today's dads are handling their fatherly duties as well or better than in the past.
Social & Demographic Trends

Growing Up With the News
Most Parents Encourage Teenagers to Follow Current Events, Though Younger Children Are Often Shielded
23 May 07In an era when war, tragedy and scandal often dominate the headlines, America's parents are more likely to encourage children to follow the news than they are to shield them from it.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Four-in-Ten Americans Have Close Friends or Relatives Who are Gay
Survey finds Familiarity Is Closely Linked to Greater Tolerance
23 May 07A new survey also finds that those with homosexual or lesbian relatives or friends are more likely to accept gay marriage and oppose the firing of gay teachers.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Motherhood Today: Tougher Challenges, Less Success
Mom's Biggest Critics are Middle-Aged Women
2 May 07From managing busy schedules to dealing with outside influences, mothers have their hands full these days - and middle-aged women are their sharpest critics. At the same time, fully 70% of the public says it's harder to be a mother today than it was 20 or 30 years ago; somewhat fewer (60%) say the same about being a father.
Social & Demographic Trends

States Say No to Teen Tanning
Utah and Virginia Join 25 Other States in Limiting Underage Access to Bronzing Beds - Is There a 'Personal Right to Tan'?
27 Mar 07Spurred by worries about skin cancer, Utah and Virginia have joined 25 other states in limiting underage access to bronzing beds
Stateline.org

Trends in Attitudes Toward Religion and Social Issues: 1987-2007
22 Mar 07As the '08 elections approach, what are the views of Republicans, Democrats and the general public on "social values" issues? And how have they changed over time?
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Trends in Political Values and Core Attitudes: 1987-2007
Political Landscape More Favorable To Democrats
22 Mar 07Increased public support for the social safety net, signs of growing public concern about income inequality, and a diminished appetite for assertive national security policies have improved the political landscape for the Democrats as the 2008 presidential campaign gets underway.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Americans and Social Trust: Who, Where and Why
22 Feb 07Just under half of Americans say most people can be trusted, while 50% say you can't be too careful, a new Pew survey finds. Whites are more trusting than blacks or Hispanics. High income folks are more trusting than those with low incomes. The married are more trusting than the unmarried. The old are more trusting than the young. And rural folks are more trusting than their city cousins.
Pew Research Center

What Americans Pay For - and How
'Information Age' Bills Keep Piling Up
7 Feb 07Bill-paying is a different experience now than it was a generation ago. A sizable minority of adults pay by click. And a sizable majority pay each month for one or more of the big three Information Age staples that didn't exist or were in their infancy a few decades back -- cell phones, internet service and cable and satellite television.
Pew Research Center

We Try Hard. We Fall Short. Americans Assess Their Saving Habits
24 Jan 07Despite a negative national savings rate, three-in-four Americans still think of themselves as savers. But a majority also acknowledge they don't save enough, according to a new Pew survey.
Pew Research Center

A Portrait of "Generation Next"
How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics
9 Jan 07A new generation has come of age, shaped by an unprecedented revolution in technology and dramatic events both at home and abroad. They are Generation Next, the cohort of young adults who have grown up with personal computers, cell phones and the internet and are now taking their place in a world where the only constant is rapid change.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Social Networking Websites and Teens
Over half (55%) of online teens have web profiles; MySpace dominates networking world.
7 Jan 07In the past 5 years, social networking sites have rocketed from a niche activity in to a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Most Americans Moderately Upbeat About Family Finances in 2007
4 Jan 07Most Americans are moderately upbeat about their family's financial prospects in the coming year, with 57% expecting some improvement in their financial situation and another 10% expecting a lot of improvement, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Pew Research Center

What Was -- and Wasn't on the Public's Mind
...And How Opinions Changed During 2006
20 Dec 06Once again, public opinion played a major role in the most important news stories of the year. Some of the strongest 2006 trends in public opinion carried over from previous years -- notably growing concern about the Iraq war and mounting dissatisfaction with the performance of the Republican-controlled Congress.
Pew Research Center for the People & the Press

Luxury or Necessity?
Things We Can't Live Without: The List Has Grown in the Past Decade
14 Dec 06As Americans navigate increasingly crowded lives, the number of things they say they can't live without has multiplied in the past decade, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that asks whether a broad array of everyday consumer products are luxuries or necessities.
Pew Research Center

Internet Users In Search of a Home
The number of Americans who have looked online for information about a place to live has doubled since 2000
14 Dec 06More than a quarter of all adults in the U.S. -- and more than half of 18-29 year olds -- have looked online for information about housing, double the overall number of Americans who had done so in 2000.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

As Home Prices Cool Down, Homeowners Temper Their Optimism
6 Dec 06Despite a record drop this past year in the median sales price of existing homes, more than eight-in-ten homeowners expect the value of their homes to go up either "a little" (55%) or "a lot" (26%) in the future. However, these anticipated levels of future gains are not nearly as great as the gains that homeowners say they've experienced in recent years.
Pew Research Center

Virtual Space is the Place
A Ticket Out of This World Is Just a Click Away
27 Nov 06About 72 million people have used the internet to explore other areas, a 33% increase over 2004 when an estimated 54 million did so. On a typical day, more than five million people are taking virtual tours in cyberspace, up from roughly two million in 2004.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

It's Time for Holiday Shopping. Do You Have Your Budget?
20 Nov 06A majority of Americans say they set a budget limit for their holiday shopping; 56% have already set or plan to set a limit while 41% say they don't use a budget limit for holiday shopping.
Pew Research Center

America's Optimists: More Republican, But Fewer of Them
20 Nov 06Since 2000, people have become far more pessimistic and partisan in their views about the country's future -- and their own.
Pew Research Center

Nerds Gone Wild
The 2006 Ig Nobel Awards
6 Oct 06Ceremonies at Harvard honor scientists who discovered why woodpeckers don't get headaches, why people dislike the sound of fingernails scraping on a blackboard and how many photos are needed to ensure that no one in the picture has their eyes closed. Plus declining teacher quality and the latest research into shop-a-holics.
Pew Research Center

Getting a Grad Degree in Cheating
27 Sep 06Researchers find that about half of all graduate students admit they cheated in the past year, with MBA students the most likely to say they cut ethical corners. Plus, studies of hockey thugs and the declining percentage of alcohol in liquor, beer and wine.
Pew Research Center

Working After Retirement: The Gap Between Expectations and Reality
21 Sep 06A new Pew Social Trends survey finds a yawning gap between the expectations of today's workers, more than three-quarters of whom believe they will work for pay even after they retire, and current retirees, just 12% of whom are actually working for pay right now.
Pew Research Center

Who Do That Voodoo at Harvard?
21 Sep 06Psychologists convince test subjects at the famed university that they may have put a Voodoo hex on a disagreeable man. Also, new studies on marriage and Social Security, birth order and dirty diapers.
Pew Research Center

Americans See Less Progress on Their Ladder of Life
14 Sep 06As economists and politicians debate whether there is less mobility in the U.S. now than in the past, a new Pew survey finds that many among the public are seeing less progress in their own lives.
Pew Research Center

The Devil's New Playground: The Shopping Mall
14 Sep 06Has the repeal of Sunday blue laws given the Devil a new playground? A pair of economists think so.
Pew Research Center

Emergency Contraception and Moral Misgivings
FDA ruling puts pharmacists in crossfire
6 Sep 06The FDA's recent decision to let women over age 18 buy the morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription won't end heated disputes in state capitols over emergency contraception and thrusts pharmacists - more than ever - into the middle of the fray.
Stateline.org

How Often Do Members of Congress Tell the Truth?
6 Sep 06Not often, two political scientists found. Plus, economists say they know why tall people earn more.
Pew Research Center

Women Can't Do Math...Or Can They?
31 Aug 06A pair of psychologists devised an experiment to see if they could improve women's test scores in math by triggering positive self-images.
Pew Research Center

American Work Life is Worsening, But Most Workers Still Content
30 Aug 06Americans are generally satisfied with their own jobs but believe that wages, benefits, job security and employer loyalty have deteriorated over the past generation for most workers, a new survey finds.
Pew Research Center

Parental Pressure on Students: Not Enough in America; Too Much in Asia
24 Aug 06Americans think parents here are too lax; Asians think parents there are too tough.
Pew Global Attitudes Project

"Remedy" Ads May be Hazardous to Your Health
24 Aug 06Find out why it might make sense to put health warnings on self-improvement ads. And learn what happens to companies whose CEO's are narcissists.
Pew Research Center

The Surprising Impact of Global Warming on Tourism
18 Aug 06Which countries will win, which ones will lose in the race for tourism dollars as global warming heats up. (Hint: Book that Mongolian vacation now.) And did embedded reporters slant the news in Iraq?
Pew Research Center

Male Lefties Have More of the Right Stuff
9 Aug 06College-educated left-handed men earn 21% more than male righties with college diplomas. But there's no wage differential between left and right handed women. Go figure. Also, find out why 2002 was an off year for girl babies in Korea.
Pew Research Center

As the Price of Gas Goes Up, The Nation's Odometer Slows Down
History Repeats Itself
8 Aug 06About half the public says it is driving less due to sticker shock at the pump.
Pew Research Center

Americans and Their Cars: Is the Romance on the Skids?
Fewer Americans like to drive, survey shows
1 Aug 06Any nation with more passenger vehicles than licensed drivers has a pretty serious love affair with the automobile. But the romance seems to be cooling off a bit -- a casualty of its own intensity.
Pew Research Center

States Probe Limits of Abortion Policy
While Public Attention Is Focused on the Supreme Court, the Real Action May Be in State Capitols
22 Jun 06The U.S. Supreme Court may loom largest in the legal history of abortion in the United States, but state capitols from the 1800s to today have been the crucibles of America's evolving abortion policies. Stateline.org highlights the pivotal role that states continue to play in setting abortion policy.
Stateline.org

Americans to Rest of World: Soccer Not Really Our Thing
Just 4% say it's their favorite sport to watch
14 Jun 06Just 4% of U.S adults here say soccer is their favorite sport to watch.
Pew Research Center

Surfing to the Bank
14 Jun 06Some 63 million Americans now let their keyboards do their banking, as online financial housekeeping has burgeoned along with internet use generally. But the "trust gap" may limit further growth, especially among less financially experienced internet users.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Gambling: As the Take Rises, So Does Public Concern
23 May 06A new study from the Pew Research Center finds a modest backlash in attitudes toward legalized gambling, even as the public is spending more money on more forms of legal gambling.
Pew Research Center

Increasingly, Americans Prefer Going to the Movies at Home
16 May 06As the summer blockbuster movie season begins, a new Pew Research Center survey finds three-quarters of all adults now say they would prefer to watch movies at home, up from 67% in 1994.
Pew Research Center

Calling Mom on Mother's Day. And the Day Before. And the Day After.
9 May 06The traditional holiday phone call to mom may not have the impact it once had- not because fewer sons and daughters remember to call, but because more are already talking to mom every other day of the year.
Pew Research Center

Once Again, The Future Ain't What It Used to Be
2 May 06Barely a third of today's adults expect today's children to grow up better off than people are now.
Pew Research Center

In the Battle of the Bulge, More Soldiers Than Successes
Two-in-three are dieting or exercising
26 Apr 06Two in three are dieting or exercising, but most feel far from ideal weight.
Pew Research Center

Eating More; Enjoying Less
19 Apr 06Just 39% of adults say they enjoy eating "a great deal," down from 48% in 1989 - with a bigger decline among those who consider themselves overweight than among those who consider themselves just about the right weight.
Pew Research Center

When Facing a Tough Decision, 60 Million Americans Now Seek the Internet's Help
The Internet's Growing Role in Life's Major Moments
19 Apr 06Whether buying a home or a car, picking a college or a stock, or seeking medical advice, more and more people turn to the web.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Americans See Weight Problems Everywhere But In the Mirror
We tend to weigh ourselves on a different scale
11 Apr 06Americans think the nation's waistline is expanding and they consider this a serious problem. But when it comes to weighing themselves, they seem to use a different scale.
Pew Research Center

Are "Wired Seniors" Sitting Ducks?
11 Apr 06Older internet users, even relative newcomers to the senior ranks, may be easy targets for viruses, spyware and the like. Younger internet users take more chances online, but they also take more precautions.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

God is Alive and Well in America
4 Apr 06Forty years after a Time cover famously asked, "Is God Dead?" polls find the Almighty thriving in the nation's collective consciousness.
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

A Barometer of Modern Morals
Sex, Drugs, and the 1040
28 Mar 06Cheating on your taxes, cheating on your spouse and other questions of right and wrong
Pew Research Center

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
22% of Americans Have a Relative in a Mixed-Race Marriage
14 Mar 06One in five Americans (22%) now has a close relative married to someone of a different race.
Pew Research Center

Gauging Family Intimacy
Dogs Edge Cats (Dads Trail Both)
7 Mar 06Most dog and cat owners think of their pets as family. Almost all describe their relationship to their pets as "close." Dear old dad doesn't fare quite as well.
Pew Research Center

Eying Boomer Bonanza, States Woo Retirees
7 Mar 06As baby boomers search for the perfect place to spend their golden years, states - especially ones not typically considered seniors' havens - hope to grab a share of the retirement pie.
Stateline.org

Who's Feeling Rushed?
28 Feb 06If you want to find out who's always feeling starved for time, just ask a working mom.
Pew Research Center

Families Drawn Together By Communication Revolution
As Family Forms Change, Bonds Remain Strong
21 Feb 06A Social Trends Report
Pew Research Center

Are We Happy Yet?
13 Feb 06In the pursuit of happiness, it helps to be affluent, a Republican or a regular churchgoer.
Pew Research Center

Not Looking for Love
Romance in America
13 Feb 06Hold the heart-shaped candy; most singles in America aren't actively seeking romance.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

The Strength of Internet Ties
25 Jan 06The internet and email expand and strengthen the social ties that people maintain in the offline world, according to a new report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
Pew Internet & American Life Project

Baby Boomers: From the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Responsibility
8 Dec 05As the oldest of the nation's 75 million baby boomers approach the age of 60, a Pew Research Center survey finds many are looking ahead to their own retirement while balancing a full plate of family responsibilities - either raising minor children or providing financial and other forms of support to adult children or to aging parents.
Pew Research Center

Mapping the Political Landscape 2005
1 Sep 05The Center's report offers a richly textured portrait of the American electorate, including a new analysis of 2004 election returns that reveals the congruence between where people live and how they vote.
Pew Research Center