Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Visit us at pewresearch.org

[pewresearch]

In the wake of the Great Resignation and amid reports of “quiet quitting,” only about half of U.S. workers say they are extremely or very satisfied with their job overall, according to a new survey. Even smaller shares express high levels of satisfaction with their opportunities for training and skills development, how much they are paid and their opportunities for promotion.

At the same time, most workers say they are extremely or very satisfied with their relationship with their co-workers (67%) and with their manager or supervisor (62%). About seven-in-ten or more say they’re treated with respect (78%) and can be themselves at work (72%) all or most of the time, and majorities also say they have at least one close friend at work (65%) and that they feel their contributions at work are valued a great deal or a fair amount (62%).

Read more: How Americans View Their Jobs

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The gender pay gap has barely closed in the United States in the past two decades. In 2022, American women typically earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. That was about the same as in 2002, when they earned 80 cents to the dollar. The slow pace at which the gender pay gap has narrowed this century contrasts sharply with the progress in the preceding two decades: In 1982, women earned just 65 cents to each dollar earned by men.

There is no single explanation for why progress toward narrowing the pay gap has all but stalled in the 21st century. Women generally begin their careers closer to wage parity with men, but they lose ground as they age and progress through their work lives, a pattern that has remained consistent over time. The pay gap persists even though women today are more likely than men to have graduated from college. In fact, the pay gap between college-educated women and men is not any narrower than the one between women and men who do not have a college degree. This points to the dominant role of other factors that still set women back or give men an advantage.

Read more: The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap

[pewresearch]

The coronavirus pandemic has been associated with worsening mental health among people in the United States and around the world. Three years later, Americans have largely returned to normal activities, but challenges with mental health remain.

41% of U.S. adults have experienced high levels of psychological distress at some point during the pandemic, according to four surveys conducted between March 2020 and September 2022.

Young adults are especially likely to have faced high levels of psychological distress since the COVID-19 outbreak began: 58% of Americans ages 18 to 29 fall into this category, based on their answers in at least one of these four surveys.

Read more: Mental health and the pandemic: What U.S. surveys have found

[pewresearch]

A new survey explores public views on artificial intelligence (AI) in health and medicine – an area where Americans may increasingly encounter technologies that do things like screen for skin cancer and even monitor a patient’s vital signs.

The survey finds that on a personal level, there’s significant discomfort among Americans with the idea of AI being used in their own health care. 60% of U.S. adults say they would feel uncomfortable if their own health care provider relied on artificial intelligence to do things like diagnose disease and recommend treatments; a significantly smaller share (39%) say they would feel comfortable with this.

One factor in these views: A majority of the public is unconvinced that the use of AI in health and medicine would improve health outcomes.

Read more: 60% of Americans Would Be Uncomfortable With Provider Relying on AI in Their Own Health Care

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Although most Black Americans view the fight against racism as their primary struggle for progress, they also support women’s equality and think feminism has been a positive force for women overall and for Black women specifically.

79% of Black adults say it is very important for women to have equal rights with men. 76% also say the feminist movement has done a great deal or fair amount to advance women’s rights, and 49% say feminism has helped Black women.

Read more: Black Americans Firmly Support Gender Equality but Are Split on Transgender and Nonbinary Issues

[pewinternet]

While bullying existed long before the internet, the rise of smartphones and social media has brought a new and more public arena into play for this aggressive behavior. 46% of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 report ever experiencing at least one of six cyberbullying behaviors we asked about in our survey conducted April 14 - May 4, 2022.

Of the six cyberbullying behaviors we asked about, the most commonly reported behavior teens say they’ve experienced is name-calling, with 32% saying they have been called an offensive name online or on their cellphone.

Read more: Teens and Cyberbullying 2022

[pewresearch]

Periods of catastrophe and anxiety, such as the coronavirus pandemic, have historically led some people to anticipate that the destruction of the world as we know it – the “end times” – is near.

In the United States, 39% of adults say they believe “we are living in the end times,” while 58% say they do not believe we are living in the end times, according to our recent survey.

Christians are divided on this question, with 47% saying we are living in the end times while 49% say we are not. Among those who are religiously unaffiliated, 75% say we are not living in the end times, compared with 23% who say we are.

Read more: About four-in-ten U.S. adults believe humanity is ‘living in the end times’

[pewresearch]

While most of the 19 countries surveyed believe social media has had a positive impact on democracy, there are substantial cross-national differences on this question and the United States is a clear outlier.

Just 34% of U.S. adults think social media has been good for democracy, while 64% say it has had a bad impact. In fact, the U.S. is an outlier on a number of measures, with larger shares of Americans seeing social media as divisive.

Read more: Social Media Seen as Mostly Good for Democracy Across Many Nations, But U.S. is a Major Outlier

[pewresearch]

With a growing number of states authorizing the use of marijuana, the public continues to broadly favor legalization of the drug for medical and recreational purposes.

An overwhelming share of U.S. adults (88%) say either that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use by adults (59%) or that it should be legal for medical use only (30%). Just one-in-ten (10%) say marijuana use should not be legal, according to a survey conducted Oct. 10-16, 2022. These views are virtually unchanged since April 2021.

Read more: Americans overwhelmingly say marijuana should be legal for medical or recreational use

[pewinternet]

Society has long fretted about technology’s impact on youth. But unlike radio and television, the hyperconnected nature of social media has led to new anxieties, including worries that these platforms may be negatively impacting teenagers’ mental health.

Despite these concerns, teens themselves paint a more nuanced picture of adolescent life on social media. It is one in which majorities credit these platforms with deepening connections and providing a support network when they need it, while smaller – though notable – shares acknowledge the drama and pressures that can come along with using social media, according to a survey of U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted April 14 to May 4, 2022.

Eight-in-ten teens say that what they see on social media makes them feel more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives, while 71% say it makes them feel like they have a place where they can show their creative side. And 67% say these platforms make them feel as if they have people who can support them through tough times. A smaller share – though still a majority – say the same for feeling more accepted.

Read more: Connection, Creativity and Drama: Teen Life on Social Media in 2022

[pewresearch]

Large majorities of Americans value government investments in scientific enterprise, but few believe the pace of scientific development in the U.S. outstrips that of other countries around the world. Just 14% of U.S. adults think the U.S. is gaining ground on other countries in its scientific achievements, while 38% think the U.S. is losing ground, and 47% say it is staying in about the same place relative to other countries.

54% of Americans say it is very important for the U.S. to be a world leader in scientific achievements. 37% say this is somewhat important, and 8% say it is not too or not at all important.

Read more: Americans Value U.S. Role as Scientific Leader, but 38% Say Country Is Losing Ground Globally

[pewresearch]

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, a hot war between Russia and Ukraine ongoing, inflation rates rising globally and heat records being smashed across parts of the world, countries are facing a wide variety of challenges in 2022.

Among the many threats facing the globe, climate change stands out as a strong concern among citizens in advanced economies. A median of 75% across 19 countries label global climate change as a major threat. Majorities in most countries surveyed also view the spread of false information online, cyberattacks from other countries, the condition of the global economy and the spread of infectious diseases as major threats to their nations.

Read more: Climate Change Remains Top Global Threat Across 19-Country Survey

[pewresearch]

The share of young adults in the United States who are living with a parent has grown considerably in recent decades, a trend that many Americans see as bad for society, according to a survey conducted in October 2021.

Over a third of Americans (36%) say that more young adults living with their parents is bad for society, while 16% say it is good for society. Nearly half of Americans (47%) say it doesn’t make a difference.

In July 2022, half of adults ages 18 to 29 were living with one or both of their parents. This was down from a recent peak of 52% in June 2020 but still significantly higher than the share who were living with their parents in 2010 (44% on average that year) or 2000 (38% on average).

Read more: Americans more likely to say it’s a bad thing than a good thing that more young adults live with their parents

[pewresearch]

Partisan polarization has long been a fact of political life in the United States, but deeply negative views of the opposing party are far more widespread than in the past.

Increasingly, Republicans and Democrats view not just the opposing party but also the people in that party in a negative light. Growing shares in each party now describe those in the other party as more closed-minded, dishonest, immoral and unintelligent than other Americans.

Perhaps the most striking change is the extent to which partisans view those in the opposing party as immoral. In 2016, about half of Republicans (47%) and slightly more than a third of Democrats (35%) said those in the other party were a lot or somewhat more immoral than other Americans. Today, 72% of Republicans regard Democrats as more immoral, and 63% of Democrats say the same about Republicans.

Read more: As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System

[pewresearch]

Should journalists always strive to give equal coverage to all sides of an issue? Journalists in the United States differ markedly from the general public in their views on this question. U.S. adults overall are much more likely than U.S. journalists to say that journalists should always strive to give all sides of an issue equal coverage, while U.S. journalists are much more likely than the general public to say that every side *does not* always deserve equal coverage in the news.

Read more: U.S. journalists differ from the public in their views of ‘bothsidesism’ in journalism

[pewresearch]

Surging inflation has taken a bite out of U.S. workers' "real earnings" -- the amount of money a worker makes after adjusting for inflation. This is especially the case for workers who have remained with the same employer. In recent months, most of them have experienced real wage losses compared with the year before. Meanwhile, most workers who switched employers have seen increases in their real earnings on a year-over-year basis, with the median worker seeing an increase of 9.7% most recently.

Read more: Majority of U.S. Workers Changing Jobs Are Seeing Real Wage Gains

[pewinternet]

Black Americans are broadly critical of several key aspects of policing and the criminal justice system in the United States. But their views on an emerging tool in U.S. law enforcement – the use of face recognition technology – are more nuanced, according to a survey conducted in November 2021.

Black Americans are less likely than White or Hispanic Americans to believe that the widespread use of facial recognition technology will make policing fairer. Only 22% of Black adults say it will make policing fairer, while 29% say it will make policing less fair and about half say it will make no difference. Hispanic and White Americans are more likely than Black Americans to say the widespread use of this technology will make policing fairer (40% and 36% say this, respectively).

Read more: How Black Americans view the use of face recognition technology by police