The U.S. class divide extends to searching for a religious congregation
Looking for a new religious congregation is common in the U.S. But how likely Americans are to look for a new church varies by their education and income levels.
Middle Class
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The American middle class is stable in size, but losing ground financially to upper-income families
While the size of the U.S. middle class remained relatively stable between 2002 and 2016, financial gains for middle-income Americans were modest compared with those of higher-income households.
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Majorities Say Government Does Too Little for Older People, the Poor and the Middle Class
Majorities of Americans say the federal government does not provide enough help for older people (65%), poor people (62%) and the middle class (61%). By contrast, nearly two-thirds (64%) say the government provides too much help for wealthy people.
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Most think the ‘American dream’ is within reach for them
Most Americans say they have achieved the “American dream” or are on their way to achieving it. Yet, the American dream means different things to different people.
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Through an American lens, Western Europe’s middle classes appear smaller
The American middle class is smaller than middle classes across Western Europe, but its income is higher.
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Asylum applications from unaccompanied minors fell sharply in Europe in 2016
The European Union, Norway and Switzerland received nearly 66,000 asylum applications from unaccompanied minor migrants (those younger than 18 applying without a parent or guardian) in 2016, a decline of nearly 40% from 2015’s record total but still well above the total of prior years, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical agency.
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Are you middle class in Western Europe? Try our country-by-country income calculators
As part of a new study, Pew Research Center designed income calculators to help you determine where you fit on the income ladder in Western Europe.
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Are You Middle Class in Western Europe?
A Pew Research Center analysis of income data from 11 Western European countries finds considerable differences in the fortunes of the middle classes in those countries. See where you fall on your country’s income ladder.
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7 key findings on the state of the middle class in Western Europe
The fortunes of the middle classes across Western Europe are moving in different directions. Some nations are experiencing both growing incomes and expanding middle classes, while other nations are witness to stagnant or declining incomes and shrinking middle classes, a new Pew Research Center analysis of 11 Western European countries has found. But in a few other countries studied, the middle-class shares are decreasing even as incomes overall are rising.
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Middle Class Fortunes in Western Europe
From 1991 to 2010, the middle class expands in France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, but, as in the United States, shrinks in Germany, Italy and Spain
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