Key findings about Americans’ declining trust in government and each other
Americans say the public’s trust has been declining in both the federal government and in their fellow citizens. But most say this can be turned around.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
David Kent
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The countries where people are most dissatisfied with how democracy is working
Across 27 nations surveyed by Pew Research Center in 2018, people were more dissatisfied than satisfied with the way democracy is working in their country. This held especially true in a dozen countries where negative views of democracy outpaced positive by more than 10 percentage points.
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In Western Europe, most people back church-state separation even while many willingly pay church tax
Public support for the separation of church and state is widespread in Western Europe, even in countries that have a government-mandated church tax to fund religious institutions, according to a new analysis of a recent Pew Research Center study.
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U.S. unauthorized immigrants are more proficient in English, more educated than a decade ago
In 2016, a third of unauthorized immigrant adults were proficient in English – up from a quarter in 2007.
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Many Americans see religious discrimination in U.S. – especially against Muslims
Most American adults (82%) say Muslims are subject to at least some discrimination in the U.S. today, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March – including a majority (56%) who say Muslims are discriminated against a lot.
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Rift over gay rights comes as United Methodists in U.S. have become more accepting of homosexuality
The church is one of the few major mainline Protestant denominations in the country that currently does not sanction same-sex marriage.
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Americans with higher education and income are more likely to be involved in community groups
Nearly six-in-ten Americans participate in some type of community group or organization, including 11% who say they take part in at least four such groups.
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The way U.S. teens spend their time is changing, but differences between boys and girls persist
Teens are spending their time differently than they did a decade ago, but gender differences remain in time spent on leisure, grooming, homework, housework and errands.
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Latinos have become less likely to say there are too many immigrants in U.S.
The share of Latinos who say there are too many immigrants living in the United States has declined sharply since 2002.
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Once the same nation, the Czech Republic and Slovakia look very different religiously
While Slovakia is majority Catholic, around seven-in-ten Czechs are religiously unaffiliated – the highest share of unaffiliated adults in 34 European countries surveyed.
