People who are active in religious congregations tend to be happier and more civically engaged than either religiously unaffiliated adults or inactive members of religious groups, according to our analysis of survey data from the United States and more than two dozen other countries.
Read more: Religion’s Relationship to Happiness, Civic Engagement and Health Around the World
Access to mobile phones and social media is common across emerging economies. People around the world see certain benefits from these technologies, yet there are also concerns about their impact on children.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report last year expressing serious concerns about the possible impacts of climate change, both in the near and distant future. Broadly speaking, people around the world agree that climate change poses a severe risk to their countries, according to a 26-nation survey conducted in the spring of 2018. In 13 of these countries, people name climate change as the top international threat.
But global warming is just one of many concerns. Terrorism, specifically from the Islamic extremist group known as ISIS, and cyberattacks are also seen by many as major security threats. In eight of the countries surveyed, including Russia, France, Indonesia and Nigeria, ISIS is seen as the top threat. In four nations, including Japan and the United States, people see cyberattacks from other countries as their top international concern. One country, Poland, names Russia’s power and influence as its top threat, but few elsewhere say Russia is a major concern.
Read more: Climate Change Still Seen as the Top Global Threat, but Cyberattacks a Rising Concern
Teens now enjoy more than five and a half hours of leisure a day (5 hours, 44 minutes). The biggest chunk of teens’ daily leisure time is spent on screens: 3 hours and 4 minutes on average. This figure, which can include time spent gaming, surfing the web, watching videos and watching TV, has held steady over the past decade. On weekends, screen time increases to almost four hours a day (3 hours, 53 minutes), and on weekdays teens are spending 2 hours and 44 minutes on screens.
Read more: How teens spend their time
Many around the world say women’s equality is very important, according to our 2015 global survey. This sentiment was strongest in North America, Europe and Latin America.
We asked respondents across the European continent whether they agree with the statement, “Our people are not perfect, but our culture is superior to others.” While there are exceptions, Central and Eastern Europeans overall are more inclined to say their culture is superior. The eight countries where this attitude is most prevalent are all geographically in the East: Greece, Georgia, Armenia, Bulgaria, Russia, Bosnia, Romania and Serbia.
This “cultural chauvinism” is just one example of a general East-West pattern in measures of nationalism.
People in Central and Eastern Europe also are more likely than Western Europeans to say being born in their country and having family background there are important to truly share the national identity.
Seven-in-ten U.S. teens say anxiety and depression are major problems among their peers. Yet anxiety and depression aren't the only concerns for teens.
The share of representatives and senators with college degrees has steadily increased over time. In the 116th Congress, 96% of House members and all senators have a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the 79th Congress (1945-47), by comparison, 56% of House members and 75% of senators had degrees.
The educational attainment of Congress far outpaces that of the overall U.S. population. In 2017, around a third (34%) of American adults ages 25 and older said they had completed a bachelor’s degree or more, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Read more: The changing face of Congress in 6 charts
Teens spend their time differently than they did a decade ago, but gender differences remain in time spent on leisure, housework and other activities.
Teens today are spending their time differently than they did a decade ago. They’re devoting more time to sleep and homework, and less time to paid work and socializing. But what has not changed are the differences between teen boys and girls in time spent on leisure, grooming, homework, housework and errands, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
What traits does society value most in men and in women? What traits does society say men and women should not have?
We asked 4,573 Americans these questions.
About six-in-ten teens say they feel a lot of pressure to get good gradesMost teens (61%) say they personally feel a lot of pressure to get good grades, and another 27% say they feel some pressure to do so.
Compared with getting good grades, about half as many say they feel a lot of pressure to look good (29%) and to fit in socially (28%). Roughly one-in-five say they face a lot of pressure to be involved in extracurricular activities and to be good at sports (21% each), while smaller shares say they feel a lot of pressure to help their family financially (13%), to participate in religious activities (8%), to be sexually active (8%), to drink alcohol (6%) or to use drugs (4%).
Boys and girls, as well as teens across income groups, generally feel similar levels of pressure in each of these realms, but there are some exceptions. Girls are more likely than boys to say they feel a lot of pressure to look good (35% vs. 23%). And teens in the lower- and middle-income groups are more likely than those in higher-income households to say they feel at least some pressure to help their family financially (42% and 38%, respectively, vs. 28%).
Read more: Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers
About a century after Montana Republican Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress, there are 127 women in the legislature, accounting for a record 24% of voting lawmakers across both chambers. (In addition, four of the six nonvoting House members, who represent the District of Columbia and U.S. territories, are women.)
There are more women in the Senate than ever (25), and in six states – Arizona, California, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire and Washington – both senators are women, up from three states in the previous Senate.
These gains have been relatively recent, however. The House has seen slow but steady growth in the number of female members since the 1920s. Growth in the Senate has been slower: The Senate did not have more than three women serving at any point until the 102nd Congress, which began in 1991. And the share of women in Congress remains far below the share of women in the country as a whole (24% vs. 51%).
Read more: The changing face of Congress in 6 charts
Anxiety and depression are on the rise among America’s youth and, whether they personally suffer from these conditions or not, seven-in-ten teens today see them as major problems among their peers. Concern about mental health cuts across gender, racial and socio-economic lines, with roughly equal shares of teens across demographic groups saying it is a significant issue in their community.
Read more: Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers
Now that the youngest Millennials are adults, how do they compare with those who were their age in the generations that came before them?
What should colleges and universities consider when making decisions about student admissions? When we asked Americans about eight different admissions criteria, high school grades topped the list.
Read more: Most Americans say colleges should not consider race or ethnicity in admissions