As democratic nations have wrestled with economic, social and geopolitical upheaval in recent years, the future of liberal democracy has come into question. Our international surveys reveal key insights into how citizens think about democratic governance.
Americans are closely divided over whether people convicted of crimes spend too much, too little or about the right amount of time in prison.
Fewer than 1 million foreign students enrolled for either online or in-person classes at U.S. universities in the 2020-21 school year.
Third-quarter 2021 inflation was higher in nearly all (39) of the 46 nations analyzed than in the pre-pandemic third quarter of 2019.
The share of Americans who say having political conversations with those they disagree with is “stressful and frustrating” has increased.
A majority of Republicans along with a smaller but substantial majority of Democrats believe in heaven, hell or some other form of afterlife.
In the new survey, the Center attempted for the first time to pose some of these philosophical questions to a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, finding that Americans largely blame random chance – along with people’s own actions and the way society is structured – for human suffering, while relatively few believers blame God or voice doubts about the existence of God for this reason.
Among those ages 18 to 29, friends and community often rank in the top three sources of meaning, fulfillment and satisfaction in their lives.
Many experts say public online spaces will significantly improve by 2035 if reformers, big technology firms, governments and activists tackle the problems created by misinformation, disinformation and toxic discourse. Others expect continuing troubles as digital tools and forums are used to exploit people’s frailties, stoke their rage and drive them apart.
Germans and Americans have both become more skeptical of China.
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